Anything Goes, Literally
by Fyras14
Summary: The story starts out differently…who is that chasing Ranma on that fateful day? It sure isn’t a panda…and its out for blood, too. Yep. Definitely not good. AU Ranma Fic.
1. Rain

Fyras14: Hello, everyone...yes...another Ranma fic...damn it...damn it! This idea I had it in my head for a couple of days now, just after I had written that second chapter of my other Ranma fic...suddenly I had this crazy idea...what if Ranma had been chased by someone else that fateful day he met the Tendos? What if everything about his life took a change for the better...or worst? What if he was less of a jerk, now? Well...you won't get anywhere unless you read!

Other things;

Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.

I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

**Edit(4/12/10): Due to a couple of complaints, I have fixed up Ranma's speech pattern a bit. Also, some things were added to the chapters.  
**

_

* * *

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths._

**-****Walt Disney**

**-Prologue-**

**-Rain-**

It was raining. Each drop of water coming harder than before, and if it weren't for the umbrella the girl held in her hands, she would have been drenched to the bone. But, even despite the rain, she just stood there, holding the umbrella, as if waiting for something to happen. As if expecting something different to happen today…something… anything.

"Oh, what the…" the girl only manage to shake her head in annoyance as her mind wondered off on her. "Like anything could change," she murmured, as she began her walk again. "This rain isn't going to stop that horde of perverts from bothering me every morning…not even Daddy, or Nabiki…no matter how many times they talk to that jerk…they just won't stop..." She sighed. Really, what was she expecting for the rain to change? Rain didn't bring change, maybe floods, but never change…sincerely, would a drop of water make any difference?

Deciding it was best to continue on home, the girl walked a little faster than before. Just then she came to an abrupt stop, as faint screams of panic caught her ears. Feelings of panic and fear dared to cross through Akane Tendo's mind as she forced herself to see the change that which the rain had brought her...

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Jump. Strike. Jump. Strike. Run. Maybe a kick or two.

No matter what the young redhead girl did, the giant beast still kept going at her, throwing punches that crushed the stone or metal that stood before it, causing panic and chaos to break loose around them.

_Damn! Out of all the places! Why here! Why in a fuckin' crowded street, damnit! _The girl thought, jumping again, as she evaded the punch. The redhead responded to the beast's own attack by sending a solid kick on the creature's horned head. It crumbled to the ground, before its large white wings took him to the air, where he was met by the redhead, and engage into a punching match in the sky. Seeing that the girl wasn't giving on, the creature made a sudden turn, and slammed the girl with its strange green tail.

"Ark!" The blow sent the redhead crashing into the cold and wet pavement, as blood made its way out of her mouth. Spitting the metallic tasting liquid out, the redhead glanced wearily at the people in the area, all screaming and shaking in fear. A few, a little daring than others, stood still watching the fight, while the bolder ones took out their cameras and started to film the fight. The girl snorted at the scene; idiots, the lot of them.

_What a bunch of morons…_she looked up, the creature was flying still preparing for the girl to meet him up in the air once more. _That asshole doesn't stop…and this others are too stupid to run…I got to finish this fast! And I have ta finish it now! _Taking a deep breath, the girl jumped once more, once again meeting the giant beast in the air, tackling it with her small, petite body, which took the creature by surprise. Both fell to the ground, the girl holding unto the creature's horns so it could land, headfirst, into the floor. The plan worked, and the beast gave a cry of pain as its face crashed against the ground, meanwhile the girl did a back flip as soon as the head hit the pavement, before kicking the beast on the back. Another cry of pain was heard, as the girl did another back flip, and landed away from the monster, breathing harder.

"Damn it, you moron! What da hell ya startin' a fight here for! You're gonna hurt someone, damn it!" the redhead yelled, fists clenching, as she spit a bit of blood out of her mouth. "Pantyhose, I'm warning ya! Leave me the heck 'lone!" As if by magic, the giant creature or Pantyhose, as the young girl had called it, raised itself up, a bright red aura around it. It turned to look at her and cried out.

In a blind fury, the Pantyhose beast flew towards the small girl, as the latter got into a defensive stance. A series of punches came from the monster before her, but the girl stood her ground, despite the pain visible on her face. _…ya…little…ass…Pantyhose…_Taking another hit, the girl finally found an opening in her foe's attack, and quickly punched the Pantyhose creature, catching it by surprise. But, the surprise wasn't enough to distract the green tail, which once more caught the girl unexpected. The hit of the tail got the redhead hard, sending her crashing against a nearby fence, breaking it without mercy, as yelps of surprise and fear circled the two.

"…ow…" the girl growled, staring back at the monster, who jumped to punch her again, but this time, the small redhead was ready. She received the Pantyhose's punch with a kick to the face, something that forced the creature to stop its attack. The girl jumped, and kicked the monster on the head, making it slam against the remains of the broken fence. "PANTYHOSE!" she cried out, as the Pantyhose beast suddenly turned around and tried to strike her with its tail again, missing by a few inches. "Get the hell outta here!" the girl went on, as the creature decided to renew its attack on the small redhead. "I gotta." She dodged a punch to the head, that broke concrete behind her. "Nothin' to do." She jumped out of the way of an uppercut. "With that letch anymore! NOT EVER AGAIN!" As the redhead screamed out those words, her fists and arms began to glow in a reddish tint, as she dodged another punch. "HI NI YAKAREMASU!" Before the Pantyhose beast could even blink, fire engulfed the girl's hands, and she began to send dangerous and fast speed punches towards her giant foe, none which it could evade. **(1) **The redhead continued with her attack, until the flames diminished, before giving the dazed creature a roundhouse kick, sending it towards the gray skies above.

"AUUUUUUUURRRRRR!"

The small crowd that had formed during the fight watched in awe as the cry of the Pantyhose creature was heard, before some turned their attention towards the redhead girl. She slowly began to lower to her knees, her arms holding her up, as the raindrops hit her. The girl slightly flinched as the drops of water hit her unhealed bruises, but she paid it no mind. Looking up at the sky, the girl muttered something along the lines of 'asshole' and 'why does he bother me?' before looking back at the ground. Every fiber of her body hurt like hell, and the gawking crowd behind her cared so little. Not that she cared…but, would it be too much to ask for someone to get her to the doctor's office or maybe to a hospital?

She was breathing harder now, her lungs barely catching air. _Damn that pops, _she thought bitterly, the pain coming harder than before. _He knows how fuckin' irritating Pantyhose can get…why he leave me 'lone when I need him? …at least he bothers with bandages…unlike the gawking crew back there…_She flinched. Yep, something was definitely broken, too bad she never took notice of pain during her fight with that Pantyhose, maybe it would have saved her trouble. Oh…she was getting dizzy…never a good sign. At least the rain had stopped…

"Are you okay?" Jerking up, and flinching, the redhead girl turned her head to face another girl, one with long bluish, almost black hair, holding an umbrella over both of them. "Are you alright?" Her voice…so sweet…so…kind…worried…pretty. Oh…the redhead was getting really dizzy now, she could barely tell the difference now. She could feel strong arms around her, as she was pulled to her feet, and unto something soft, feeling the rain hitting her for some reason, before it finally stopped. _…stupid…Pantyhose…_It didn't take long for darkness to finally claim her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Akane glanced back at the burden on her back; the small redhead girl slept soundly despite the bruises and blood that decorated her body, and sincerely that didn't make Akane feel any better.

She had been shocked, although surprised was the most appropriate term with the circumstances as they were, when she saw this petite redhead girl going in an all out brawl against a giant ox with wings and a tail. At first, Akane had been tempted to go and aid the girl, but upon seeing the brutish strength of the creature, her temptation died pretty quickly. What amazed her to no end, however, was the fact that the girl could really take damage and still keep on going. Oh, but the surprise hadn't ended there. When the girl's arms and hands began to catch on fire, despite the rain, then Akane's shock became evident. The blows that the girl had given the monster had been painful, to say the least, and by finishing it off by sending the creature to the other side of Japan…well, let's just say Akane began to grow afraid. Just a little bit.

The girl glanced back at her sleeping companion, and then, ran. She may have been afraid of these petite redhead for a second, but she sincerely wasn't going to let her die or something worse. Akane ran as fast as her feet could take her to the only place she knew the girl would be safe at; Dr. Tofu's clinic.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pain. Darkness. Ouch. That hurt. But…then, the pain was gone…only to return again, this time less…painful? Yeah…that was the word…but, why? She usually didn't feel this well after a fight with Pantyhose…

"So, is she going to be okay, Dr. Tofu?"

_Tofu? A doctor…with the name of food? Okay…must be one of those dreams again…_

"Oh, she is relatively fine, Akane-chan, nothing to worry about…a bit bruised but she'll be just fine. Although, all the other bruises I found on her, now _that_ does worry me."

_Great…the soy snack is running a diagnostic…but…what's the soy doctor talking to…? Akane-chan? Who's that?...Argh! Open your eyes, already!_

"Other than that, however, she's just fine...oh! I think she's waking up!"

Blue eyes blinked at the strange white ceiling, before two faces came into their line of vision. One was of a tall man with dark brown hair in a ponytail and glasses, the other was a girl with long blue hair, almost black, wearing a pretty dress with flowers. Both looked down at her, each with a certain relief in their faces. "…ho?"

"Ah, you're awake!" the girl cried, clasping her hands together in front of her as she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!"

"See, Akane-chan, what did I tell you? She's a pretty strong girl, and healthy too...actually I haven't seen a patient this strong since a long time ago," the tall man said, smiling at the girl, or Akane-chan as he had called her.

As this conversation was taking place, the redhead sat up. "…where am I?" she asked, looking around in mild confusion. This definitely didn't look like a street, nothing wet either, no crowd of gawking people, no gray sky…in fact, this looked more like a doctor's office…wait a minute.

"You are in my clinic," the man answered, looking her up and down. "Little Akane here brought you…you certainly were in a rough shape, young lady." At that, the redhead snorted.

"Ya would be too if you fought a flying asshole," came the reply, making the man blink, before he glanced at Akane next to him.

"Well, I found it hard to believe too...but it really was a flying ox, Dr. Tofu…" The man, Dr. Tofu, blinked once more, and then, smiled, as if understanding.

"I suppose I have to ask then…why were you fighting a flying ox?" The redhead looked at the ground, arms across her chest.

"Does it really matter, Doc?" Dr. Tofu was pensive for a moment.

"No, I suppose not…but, you were pretty bruised, young lady…Akane-chan was able…recount a little of your feud with…ah, the flying asshole as you so honestly put it," the doctor was still smiling as he said it, making Akane smile shyly at the redhead. The redhead blushed slightly, but returned a small smile. Man…that Akane girl was really pretty… "Now…young lady-"

"Name's Ranma, Doc," the redhead interrupted, turning her attention to the man before her, as her cheeks lost their reddish tint. Dr. Tofu only nodded before going on.

"Ranma, you had a lot of bruises when I checked you…some older than others…do this fights happen often?" he asked, a hint of worry hidden in his voice. Akane, too, looked concern, making Ranma blush even harder. Damn…but…but this girl was so pretty….and she brought her here, too.

"Naw…not really…only if he figures out where me an' Pops are at…which happens…at least once a month or twice a week…"

"Oh." That answer didn't exactly please Tofu too much, and Ranma could tell. She had to look for an escape, and fast, though. If her Pop went out looking for her, he'll probably stay overnight at a zoo. Again.

"Look, I'm fine and all that…just throw the bill and I'll pay ya," Ranma jumped out of the examination table, seemingly unaffected by the pain and bruises.

"But, you can't just go like that!" Akane protested, worry etching in her face. "You're hurt!"

"Doesn't matter," came the sad response. "I can take pain," she turned to Dr. Tofu, who was still analyzing her with critical eyes. "Heya…doc…just the bill, I'll pay ya real fast, too…" Dr. Tofu only blinked, and smiled.

"Ah, that won't be necessary Ranma…Akane asked me to help you as a favor." Blinking, Ranma turned to look at the pretty blue haired girl, who was still worried. _She…she helped me out? _"I would suggest, however, that you avoid fights…especially with flying ox's for the time being, at least until your bruises heal."

"Ah…ye-yeah…" the redhead said, playing a bit with her pig tail, before bowing towards Akane, catching the girl by surprise. "Sorry 'bout this…didn't mean to give ya a burden…" The taller girl only shook her head, and smiled.

"Don't worry about it, in fact, I should be the one worried about you…are..are you really sure you are going to be okay?" She received a thumbs up from the smaller girl, who was making her way out.

"Hey, no worries 'kane…I'm good." Turning to Dr. Tofu, she nodded and smiled. "Thanks Doc, I'll make sure to stop by some time to thank ya properly and all, bye!" Before long, the smaller girl disappeared, leaving behind both doctor and girl, Akane wondering if the girl would really be alright.

**

* * *

**

To say Akane was mad was an understatement. Really now…and who wouldn't be, especially now that she had been told by her father that she, or her sisters, would be engaged to…to some stranger! Really nothing to get mad about...seriously.

"I can't believe he's doing this!" Akane cried out, her eyes facing the floor of her bedroom. "How can he expect us to marry some...some boy we haven't even met! What if he is a pervert!"

"Really, little sister…that's all you ever think about? Perverts?" asked another voice, making Akane turn to look back at her older sister, Nabiki Tendo, dressed in her finest kimono, which she could have sworn looked exactly like the one she had lost two months ago.

"Well, that's what they are! All of them!"

"Akane, Akane," Nabiki tusked, winking at her. "He's not some stranger from the neighborhood little sister, this guy has been in China! Who knows how this guy acts, anyway?"

"Yeah, yeah…whatever…"

"Come on, sis, Ranma may not be too bad," Nabiki said, taking a seat in Akane's bed.

"…yeah, sure…" the younger Tendo responded, a bit unenthusiastic.

To be fair when Akane had heard the name 'Ranma', her mind almost went on overboard as she recalled last week's occurrence; that redhead girl and that flying ox, and had almost been tempted to hit her father for engaging her or her sisters to a girl, but when she had been told this Ranma was a boy, her mind was back to normal. But, heck! What were the chances? Two Ranmas in the same place, really was some sort of weird coincidence…after all, Ranma, that redhead, had been a girl…right?

_Silly Akane, of course she was!_ Akane thought, as she followed Nabiki down the stairs, where both Soun Tendo, her father, and Kasumi Tendo, the oldest of the Tendo sisters, waited for them. _Daddy would be a bit too foolish to engage us to a girl…but, why am I even worrying about that anyway! Daddy just gave us all a death sentence with this stupid engagement! Arrgh! I HATE BOYS!  
_

No one missed the look of anger that crossed through Akane's face, but they wisely decided not to comment on it. But, despite the silence, it was soon broken by a loud knocking coming from the front door.

"Ah! My old friend has finally arrived!" Soun cried, tears in his eyes, as he made his way towards the door, followed closely behind by Nabiki, who was crying out that Ranma must be coming. Kasumi and Akane only glanced at each other once, before they silently followed Soun and Nabiki.

They were rather surprised to see both Soun and Nabiki running back, behind them, a giant panda. Both Kasumi and Akane blinked, as Soun stood in front of them, shock in his face. "Is this your friend, daddy?" the middle Tendo sister asked, clutching her father's arm, as the latter shook his head fast. "Sure, pandas come to visit all the time!" Nabiki replied, sarcastically, as everyone watched the animal in amazement.

"Yo, Pops! Ya scarin' them shitless!" came a voice behind the panda, making everyone blink. The panda only sighed, and growled over his shoulder, as a young redhead girl made her appearance.

Akane's eyes widen as she recognized the figure standing before them. _No…way…that's…_Her father's loud cry of happiness stopped her thoughts, and before she knew it, Soun enveloped Ranma in a large bear hug.

"It is so good to see you, son..."

It didn't take long for Soun to realize something was wrong with this 'boy', and he only could stare at the 'boy's chest, only for Nabiki to point out his error.

"He's a girl."

Needless to say, Akane was rather surprised when her father fainted right there.

* * *

**Some things to point out!**

**1-This is an attack, a bit like that Chesnut thing that Cologne thought Ranma during the Phoenix Pill Arc...the name of the attack means, according to my online dictionary, 'to burn'.**

Hope that turned out okay for the prologue...did it surprise you? Well, questions shall be answered at least next chapter, were this meeting shall continue...

I'm afraid you folks would have to wait until, at least next month, the latest for an update...I'm trying to make this a small ongoing proyect of mine...to update once a month, so it would keep this story going. But, I might surprise you with an early update...

Do leave a review.

EDIT(12/16/10): A few corrections


	2. Friends and Perverts

Fyras14: Hello everyone! This one is an early update...here, the questions on why Ranma is being chased by the beast are answered...and also, the mystery of the curses is revealed...but, is another emotion revealed as well? Well, you're gonna have to read to find that out!

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

**Edit(4/12/10): Due to a couple of complaints, I have fixed up Ranma's speech pattern a bit. Also, some things were added to the chapters.**

_

* * *

"Always, Sir, set a high value on spontaneous kindness. He, whose inclination prompts him to cultivate your friendship of his own accord, will love you more than one whom you have been at pains to attach to you."  
_

**- Samuel Johnston (1709 - 1784)**

**-Chapter One-**

**-Friends and Perverts- **

The redhead and the panda sat side by side as the oldest of the Tendo daughters tended to their father, meanwhile the two youngest stared at the smaller girl, who was playing with her hands, nervous at all the attention.

"Poor father," Kasumi said, putting a damp cloth on Soun's forehead. "He must be so disappointed."

"Some disappointment," Nabiki muttered. She was dressed back in her normal clothes, the kimono all but forgotten in her room upstairs.

"Sorry…" came the smaller girl's reply, making all heads, except the panda's and Soun's, turn towards her. "…I…just found out, too…umm…" She glanced back at Akane, as if asking for help. The taller girl took the hint, and turned to her older sister.

"Well, it's not like it's her fault, Nabiki." No one noticed how the girl flinched at the mention of 'her', but even if they had, they would have assumed she was still very nervous.

"I know that, but," Nabiki glanced down at Soun, who was finally waking up. "Daddy! You should have made sure!" she accused the fallen man, who only groaned, and responded,

"But Saotome said he had a son!" At that, both the panda and redhead girl turned to look at each other, before sighing in unison. "He said he had a son! Ranma is supposed to be a boy!" Soun wailed, literally, much to the girl's, Ranma's, surprise, who only raised an eyebrow in response. The panda next to her only put a paw over his head. "WAAAHH!"

"Well, she certainly looks quite manly!" Nabiki cried, touching one of Ranma's breast for emphasis.

"Please…would you stop that?" Ranma asked her, eyes closed, head down.

"Nabiki!" the two other sisters admonished. The middle daughter only glanced at her two sisters, but stopped her attack on the redhead's ample bosom at the end. Ranma had managed to open her eyes by then, and was giving the older girl next to her a rather strange look, as if she were disgusted. Before more reprimands could be delivered, however, Soun's wails stopped them from happening.

"Waah! Oh! Saotome, why did you lie to me! WAAAHH! Ah, my babies are never gonna get a man! WAAAHHH!" At the last comment, all the sisters shared a look; one of embarrassment, and the other two in anger.

"DADDY!" They cried, making Soun's wails even louder than before, but, another voice, that of a man, stopped the arguing and the wailings altogether.

"TENDO! Quit your crying, old friend! I would never lie to you!" Four sets of eyes blinked in astonishment at the old man standing next to the girl, where the panda used to be. He wore a battered old white gi, that appeared to have seen better days, glasses and a small white handkerchief on the top of his head. Soun seemed to recognize him immediately, but other than tears, friendliness wasn't behind those eyes.

"GENMA!" Before anyone had a chance to move, Soun was up, pointing an accusing finger at both Ranma and the older man. His eyes were blazing in red fire, clearly angered. "You lied! That's not a-"

"Um…sir…we were gonna tell ya, but ya kinda fainted on us…ya see-" Ranma flinched when the glare came to rest towards her, but was saved by the older man, who began talking again.

"Ranma really is a boy! Look!" Genma interrupted, grabbing a kettle from out of nowhere and pouring the contents over the smaller girl. The change that occurred was almost instantaneous. Red hair turned black, that large bosom disappeared into the body, while the body itself grew a little in size. Everyone was blinking; the girls all gasped in surprise, while the father observed the events with a shocked and sweaty face. "See?" Genma went on, slapping a hand over the youth's shoulder. The boy only crossed both arms over his chest and looked down, a sad expression decorating his features.

"I'm…Ranma Saotome, and…I'm a boy…sorry 'bout this…" No one spoke for the longest time, all the while Soun stood there, gaping, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. He only stood there, his finger still pointing at the two men standing before them. So, it really came as a surprise, at least to the other men in the room, when seconds later, the Tendo patriarch fainted once more. As soon as the man had hit the floor, Genma went over to examine his fallen friend.

"…Hmm…must have been the shock…" he muttered, getting a glare from his son in return.

"Ya think?" he asked, sighing, and looking back at the trio at girls, who only sat there, blinking. They all proyected feelings of confusion, fear, some anger, but Ranma wasn't worried about those emotions now. He only hoped the girls were not about to faint too.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Akane eyed the boy sitting next to his father, unsure of what to believe. Yes, she had seen the transformation. Yes, she had seen how the smaller girl had turned into a taller boy in front of her eyes, but, even if she had still seen all that, she really couldn't believe it. _…I…I really don't know what to think!...She…no, he! HE! She…He…he's a boy! I…I…really don't know what to think…_she thought, the anger she held disappeared. Glancing at the boy, Ranma, she found him looking at her with a sad expression, mouthing something that said, 'I'm really sorry', before turning to face, a newly-awakened Soun and the her other sisters. Akane sighed, and decided this wasn't worth getting angry with, after all, he really hadn't done anything to her…yet.

"…whatever happened to you two?" Soun asked after a while, tears building in his eyes. Both Saotomes looked away from a moment, before Genma cleared his throat.

"Ah, the fruits or rather, curses of our labor, old friend," he said, glancing at a red faced, white-knuckled Ranma, who had turned his head away to hide the sudden rage. Soun barely seemed to noticed anything was wrong, but the three girls did, each with their own conclusion.

"Oh…the poor boy," Kasumi whispered, putting a hand over her mouth, as she watched the boy sitting before her. Nabiki and Akane glanced at each other and whispered,

"He's definitely pissed…"

"Even more so than you, Akane," Nabiki added, earning a glare from her younger sister, before the latter went back at staring at Ranma. He really was angry…really angry…just like…

_When he fought that monster…_she thought, worried. _Whatever caused him to change genders…it probably has to do something with that monster that was chasing him! But…why? _

"Curses, you say? How, old friend?" Soun asked, oblivious to the angered boy sitting nearby.

"Jusenkyo…and our Master, my friend," At the mention of 'Master', Soun paled, considerably so, even turning white with fear. His horror, however, soon died down, when Genma gave him a small, yet sad smile, as if to ease his troubled mind. It worked and the Tendo patriarch was back to his normal color.

"…How…?" he asked weakly, making Genma turned his head to his side.

"…a matter of us…tainting the Master's hon-"

"HELL NO!" Ranma cried, suddenly getting to his feet, making everyone, except his father, cringe back in fear. He turned to face Genma, his dark cobalt eyes glowing red in anger and…was it sorrow? Akane couldn't tell. She was suddenly feeling that fear again. Just like that last time during that fight between Ranma and that beast. "THAT OLD LETCH HAD NO HONOR! HE THREW US INTO THE SPRINGS AND GOT US CURSED!" Ranma gave a last glare at his father and left the area, while Akane followed him with her eyes, and then, she made a decision. Before anyone could stop her, the girl got up and went after him. The conversation was quick to continue after their leave.

"What!" the Tendo patriarch cried, glancing at the direction both Ranma and Akane had left. "He…he threw you into the accursed springs of Jusenkyo…?" His face turned pale when Genma only nodded.

"Wait a minute!" Nabiki cried, rubbing her temples in confusion and frustration. This men were going around in circles, and she was getting dizzy just trying to catch up to them. "What is this 'Jusenkyo' you keep talking about anyway?"

"Jusenkyo…is a training ground…" Genma told her, adjusting his glasses. "The training ground is basically a bunch of springs put together, each with a tragedy of its own. Each spring…is cursed."

"Cursed?" Kasumi asked, putting a hand to cover her mouth. "Oh my…how very awful…"

"Indeed it is…"

"So, what's that got to do with Ranma turning into a boy, or the other way around?" Nabiki asked, confusion still lingering in her mind.

"Ranma is a boy," the Saotome man replied firmly, before going on. "Jusenkyo cursed him to become a girl at the touch of cold water." The middle Tendo daughter was a bit skeptical, but even she couldn't deny what she had seen moments before.

"Cold water?"

"Instant girl." Genma answered, nodding, and then, pointed at himself. "In my case, instant panda."

"Instant…panda?" Soun asked, before realization hit. "AH! That explains the panda that was with Ranma! Oh, dear friend! How could this have happened!" he cried, tears in his eyes once more. "WAAH!"

"Here we go again…."

"Oh, poor father…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It didn't take long for Akane to find Ranma, he, or rather she, was leaning on the wall of a nearby building next door of the Tendo Dojo, watching the rain. The redhead just stood there, before she glanced at Akane, who in turn was watching her, silent. "Sorry...'bout that…back there…I got a bad temper…sometimes can't seem to control it…" she told her, after a while.

"…we-well, it really isn't that big of a deal, really…" Akane replied, recalling her own temper, but finding out it didn't match the one that Ranma had displayed seconds before. "So…are…are you really a boy, and…not a girl?" Ranma gave her a small nod, before she answered,

"Yep…hundred-percent male…but Jusenkyo don't agree with that…"

"Jusenkyo? Oh, yes…your father was talking about it…just before I left to…" the girl trailed off, making the implication clear. Ranma only shrugged, but gave her a small smile for her troubles.

"Ya didn't need ta, ya know,"

"I know…but…you were so angry…and…" _I thought…maybe I could help you…I guess…_the blue haired girl thought, watching as the girl sat on the floor, hunching a little so her bottom wouldn't touch the floor.

"Yeah…sorry 'bout that, too…I always…get angry when Pops…talks 'bout the old letch…" Both were silent after a while, only hearing the rain hit the floor, creating puddles among puddles, watching as some people tried to find comfort away from the rain.

"…is he…the reason why you were cursed?" Akane ventured to ask. Despite having heard the boy's earlier outburst, she wanted another confirmation to the accusation. Ranma's lip curled into a snarl, but she kept her temper in check.

"Yeah…is that asshole's fault…me and Pops are cursed…since…since a long time ago…" The silence reign over them once more, before Ranma continued. "…that flying bastard, too, ya know, is cursed too." Akane looked at the redhead, eyes wide.

"…it...was human?"

"Yep…little asshole also got cursed…by that same letch…but," Ranma suddenly stopped talking and looked up into the cloudy sky. "he's different. He and I…used to be friends…until he said I betrayed him for being with that letch and then…he thought…that…that I ruined his chances…"

"Chances…for what?" At that question, Ranma's eyes met with theirs, a grim smile upon her lips.

"…to get his name changed."

**

* * *

**

Akane lay down on her bed, as the day's events came back to her. The meeting with the mysterious Ranma Saotome, a boy that turns into a girl at the touch of cold water, and his father, cursed to turn into a giant panda. If Akane didn't know any better, she'll say the circus came to town, but she did. And for that, the youngest Tendo sister was glad. Despite his or her appearance, Ranma was different from all the boys she had come to associate with in her life, even if that association was more physical than anything else.

Somehow, after hearing the story of how his life came to be as it was, Akane couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was not only cursed, but chased by a former friend who thought that hurting Ranma was enough to get what he wanted. Although, in the other hand, the girl thought it was a stupid reason to get mad for, even if the cursed boy didn't go through much of the details, Akane just knew it was stupid, just like the chaos with those boys at school.

_But…I suppose I would be angry, _Akane thought after a while, as she began closing her eyes. _If someone had named me Pantyhose Taro I would really be pissed too._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"What's this?"

"A bag."

"I know what this thing is! I wanna know whatcha give me a bag for?"

"School."

"School?"

"Well, we are staying here for a while..."

"Even though ya got me engage to no girl yet?"

"Yep. No excuses, boy! You are going to school and that is final!"

"Geez! I wasn't even complainin' ya old fart! I was just sayin'!"

It was already a new day in the Tendo household, as the family got ready to go on with their daily chores. Akane and Nabiki were already to go to school, and watched as father and son argued about school, fiancés, and schoolbags. At least, it didn't take long for Ranma to finally comply to his father's wishes, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

He was rather surprised to see that Nabiki had already left to school, while Akane waited for him outside the gates of the Tendo home. "She left already?" he asked the smaller girl, raising an eyebrow as Akane's sister disappeared around a corner.

"Well, it's not like Nabiki ever waits…she always has some business around the school…and so on…"

"Business?"

"It's better if you don't know about it," the blue haired girl told him, as they began to walk to school. "So…I get the feeling you haven't been to school in a while, have you, Ranma?" she asked him casually after a couple of minutes into the walk.

"Yep. Last time I stepped inside a school…it was…phew…let's see…about two years the most."

"Two years!"

"Yep…not that I'm complainin'…going around…with…Pops…and that…that….letch…well, we were always moving and stuff..." Akane glanced sadly at the boy, whose cheeks were glowing red, but said nothing. If that Master of her father's was so bad, she sincerely wanted to know nothing about it, and the last thing that she wanted was to get Ranma mad again for no reason.

_It's like mentioning old wounds when talking about that old Master of Daddy's…_she thought, as both teenagers walked side by side.

"…So…how's this school of yours, Akane?"

"Huh?" The question caught her off guard.

"Said, what's that school of yours like? Ya know, has nice trees, a pool, or I don't know, a really big clock?" Akane suddenly giggled at the absurd question, before turning serious.

"Well…Furinkan is nothing but ordinary," _If you don't count the perverts that crowd every morning for a date. _"It's just a couple of buildings…a big campus…everything you expect from a normal school."

"Ah…I get it…and…is it normal for a crowd of guys ta gather at the front gates, too?" Ranma asked, making Akane turn to face him, before turning towards the building before her. She growled.

"Not really…at least…not until Kuno happened…"

"Kuno?" He never heard the answer to his question, as Akane suddenly ran away from him and into the crowd of boys. The pig-tailed boy stuck dumbstruck for a couple of seconds, before he heard the loud cry of, "I HATE BOYS!" ring through the air. He didn't waste any more time, and quickly ran up to the crowd.

What greeted Ranma when he came closer to the gates was a sight to behold. Akane, using her schoolbag, hands, and feet, attacked the crowd of boys, each wearing a different set of uniforms. Some he recognized as those belonging to a football team, soccer, even hockey! And…was that a sumo wrestler hidden in the crowd of boys! What surprised Ranma even more were the cries that each and every one of the boys cried out before they received a punch or kick from Akane.

"Akane, please date me!" Punch.

"I love you, please date me!" A schoolbag straight in the face.

"AKANE! DATE ME!" Kick.

"DATE ME!"

"No! ME!" And the screams went on and on, each with the same message.

_What…what the hell's going on here? _the young man thought, as more and more boys fell to the ground, until finally, no more remained. Ranma just stood there, watching Akane breath in and out, tired by all the violence. He didn't waste any time, and was at her side in a second.

"Akane? What's going on?" Ranma never got to hear the smaller girl's answer, as another male made himself known.

"Truly…a barbaric lot, my dear Akane Tendo," the boy said, coming out from behind a tree. He was taller than Ranma by at least a few inches, wearing blue colored hakama and carrying a bokken on his left hand. On his other hand, a red rose. He was about to talk once more, only for him to notice Ranma standing close to Akane, holding a worried expression. "You there! Knave!" the boy cried out, pointing the bokken at Ranma. "Who are you, who dares talk so freely with my dear tigress!" he questioned, getting a glare from Akane, who was about to cry back at the older boy, but Ranma beat her to it.

"And who the hell are ya to tell me who I can talk too, eh?" the boy asked, a ferocious glare now decorating his once worried face.

"You dare threaten me, knave!"

"I didn't threaten nobody!" Ranma growled, getting a worried glance from Akane, who by now had forgotten her anger.

"Ranma…it's okay, he's just a jerk…" Ranma looked back at Akane, and then back at the older boy, who still pointed with his bokken.

"Explain yourself, cretin! Who are you to talk to the fierce Akane Tendo in such familiar fashion!"

"Go ta hell!" came Ranma's response, already too angry to care, and Akane could see it too. That anger…it was there. Oh no…She quickly turned back to the older boy.

"Kuno! Cut it out!" she cried, trying to deter the fight that seemed about to begin. The older boy, Kuno, only glanced at Akane, before turning back to Ranma, his rose finally forgotten for the sake of holding the bokken with both hands, a determined expression on his face.

"Nay! This knave shall receive the punishment from the heavens! I,Tatewaki Kuno, see it so! For no one can even associate with the tigress unless they defeat her in combat, and you knave," Kuno shot a glare at Ranma. "are not fit, as I am! For I shall win a date with the fierce tigress, for I am the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, the star of kendo!" At that, Kuno charged towards Ranma, who had yet to make any move. Akane didn't know what to do…interfere…or…? "ACK!" But, it was already too late to interfere, for Ranma, too quick for either the older boy and his female companion to notice, had Kuno by the neck, holding him up. The kendoist's feet were dangling above the ground, his bokken forgotten on the floor, as he tried to pry the hand off his neck. Akane watched in numb surprise as Ranma seemed to glow with anger, but she was too surprised to stop him and tell him to leave Kuno alone, despite the fact that the older boy deserved what he got…but, wasn't the pig-tailed boy a little…extreme?

"A date!" Ranma growled, his face only inches away from the kendoist's own, making the latter flinch slightly. "A DATE!" he repeated, glaring at the fallen boys, that by now, had recovered and were watching the turn of events in wonder, while some others watched in fear of another beating. Ranma turned to face Kuno, his grip of the older boy's neck tightening slightly. "Ya mean ta tell me that ya lot prefer ta break a girl's arm than to really ask her on a date, like ya should? She's gotta get beat up to say 'yes'?" By now, most of the horde of boys were shaking in fear at the glowing boy before them. Others were making their way to safely inside the school building.

"Ack…" Kuno cried out weakly, still trying to pry Ranma's hand off his neck, with little success.

"Do ya fuckin' hate rejection so much ya all gang up on her just cause she says 'No'! Buncha bastards, the lot of ya! I shoulda…" His eyes met Kuno's, blue eyes penetrated the older boy's own brown eyes, making the latter gulp in fear. "I shoulda…I shoulda…k…k…I REALLY SHOULD-" Suddenly, Ranma seemed to lose his grip on Kuno, and let the boy fall to the ground, meanwhile the pig-tailed boy grabbed his head, a hunted look on his eyes. "Oh…oh…no…no…I…I…" He looked down at Kuno, then, at a rather shocked Akane, before he ran off of the place, getting lost after turning a corner.

…_was…was Ranma really going…to...kill someone? _Akane thought, as Kuno began to get to his feet, having recovered from his rather embarrassing defeat at the hands of a stranger. He turned to face Akane, but found out that the girl was already making her way out of the school gates, away from the school, and away from Kuno. "Ranma! RANMA!" But, no matter how hard she cried, no answer came to greet her back.

**

* * *

**

Soun and Genma faced each other over a game of shogi, each yet to have made a move. For his part, the Tendo patriarch was still looking at his old friend with a strange look, as if waiting for something to happen. "…so…old friend," Soun began casually, as he decided into which location he should move the shogi piece. "how is it…that you…" Soun sneaked a few glances around the house, before lowering his voice for only Genma's ears to hear. "…met…with Master Happosai…once more?" He was rather surprised when he heard Genma chuckle.

"Ah…it was horrible," the other man said after a few minutes, both having lost interest in playing the game. "Me and the boy had been caught in a storm in that…that place were the Master was sealed…we had been forced to look for shelter…and well, next morning…I find the Master outside, demanding explanations…" Genma shuddered at the memory, as if it had only been yesterday.

"How…how long, dear friend?" Soun asked, already the tears had began to form.

"Since five years ago…me and my son had been tormented by…Happosai for five long years," he gave his friend a small smile. "It was hell all over again…except I had a son to worry about…it was by mere luck you were not with me, Soun…but…I suppose it would have been worse if you had been there…"

"Worse…how?"

"Our dear Master had seen his…imprisonment…as…well…a taint in his personal honor…although, for starters he was merely pissed off for being sealed for so long…" Genma paused before continuing his story. "Our punishment, you have seen it for yourselves, Tendo…me and my son, who paid the price for you, were cursed in Jusenkyo…" He suddenly placed a hand over his forehead. "I was too slow…and realized what the Master wish to do upon me and my boy too late…he…that little…" Genma sighed, as if unable to continue, but making gestures that were easily understood by the crying Soun next to him. He wanted to choke the little bastard. "…I was too weak…my son fell in first…and after I tried to save him, the Master intercepted me, and threw me into another spring…after our curses…our life was a living hell…"

"Oh…Saotome…I never knew…"

"And it would have been better, Tendo…believe me…you didn't want your girls suffering what me and the boy suffered all those years…training with that old pervert was like trying to kill one another…he forced the boy impossible tasks…and I…well…I was weak…I hardly stood a chance to defend my son…and so, aided the Master in his…thieveries…"

"Oh…old friend…waah! How much have you suffered! And your son!" Soun wailed.

"Yes…it was hell all over…but…then, one day it all changed…" The Tendo patriarch stopped his wailing for a while, as Genma's voice became grim. "Something…snapped within Ranma…and then, he challenged Happosai for our freedom…"

"AH! Such a brave child!"

"Brave and stupid…my son fought day after day against the old Master…never winning, receiving injuries that took days to heal…I stood there and watched as my son endured broken bones, twisted ankles and even concussions, as he fought the Master, because he had had enough…until…he used an old technique I thought him…the Nekoken…"

"Neko…ken?"

"Yes…its…sort of a long story…but…after Ranma had used that technique and regained his senses…he woke up to find the Master's hand in his possession…" Soun paled, his tears stopping altogether.

"…he…he killed…the Master…?"

"…I never saw the other pieces…but, then again…I never saw the Master again, either…but…" Genma looked at Soun in the eyes. "…after that last fight with the Master…Ranma changed…he became harder on himself, never wanted to be a burden…never wanted to see others get hurt…he never wanted to lose control of those emotions that had failed me so long ago…" Soun only stared back at his old friend, and said nothing.

Neither bothered to continue the game of shogi after that.

* * *

Sorry if the chapter contain some Oocness, but trust me, if you met a guy that suddenly got even angrier than you, you'll see the reasoning...and also for the story at the end, well, that basically gives more backstory on Genma and Ranma and how their lives were after the Master came to ruin them...and also the reason for Ranma's temper against perverts...if you haven't already guessed...

Anyway, next chapter a familiar foe makes his appearance...apparently, he's still on about Ranma missing out on their duel...

Until next time! Please leave a review!

Edit (12/16/10): Fixed a few things.


	3. Challenges

Fyras14: Hello folks! Here is another early update for this story...and well, been reading some of the reviews and well, I have to admit Ranma's speech is a little...bad, but, well, his dialect isnt the best in the world, but it will improve as the story goes on, eventually. Also, OOCness will be pretty obvious in some chapters, but I will try to keep the characters as much as in character as possible.

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

**Edit(4/12/10): Due to a couple of complaints, I have fixed up Ranma's speech pattern a bit. Also, some things were added to the chapters.**

_

* * *

Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress._

**Bruce Barton**

**-Chapter Two-**

**-Challenges- **

"Ranma! Ranma!"

No matter how hard Akane cried, Ranma's voice never bothered to answer her back. It had been the same thing since the last five minutes, and still, the blue haired girl had found no sign of the elusive Ranma Saotome.

_Just how fast can this guy run, anyway? _Akane thought, as she ran through the streets, looking left and right. _He couldn't have gotten that far! _Another turn, and still the girl could not find him, and then, she began to wonder just why she was looking for a boy…a boy! _I really should be at school…_she reflected, lowering her pace, taking deep breaths as she did so.

"I don't even know why I care," she muttered, overlooking the canal next to her. "He's just a boy…why do I care?" _Maybe…because he reminds me of me…_the girl added mentally, recalling the rage that filled Ranma's eyes as his hand closed around Kuno's throat…and then, the sudden dread that his blue eyes showed, before he finally ran off. _He was going to lose control…and he knew it…and…and…_ Akane shook her head at the thought. Ranma couldn't have possibly wanted to kill Kuno…right? That just…that just wasn't right…but, why did the pig-tail boy feel so afraid, then? He could have broken Kuno's neck, but he didn't. _He couldn't…_Akane reminded herself, as she recalled the sudden fear that clouded Ranma's eyes. _It's as if he was afraid…of..._She shook her head, stopping those thoughts. " I really don't have time for this…I really should be at school…"

Deciding that she wasn't going to find the boy anytime soon, Akane took a turn to the street leading to Furinkan High, only to stop when she heard a whimper nearby. _That voice…_Turning around, she spotted the whimpering figure, just below the bridge, ignoring the canal. It was Ranma, he or rather she, was sitting on the ground, hugging her legs, as she hid her face from view. The whimpers and hiccups, however, were harder to ignore. _Ranma…_Akane got closer to the canal, trying to find a safe way to join the girl below…but, now that she thought about it, why was Ranma a girl right now, hadn't she been a boy before she had left school? "An…old lady thought I needed a bath…" came the reply, causing Akane to gasp, and lose her balance. She fell, only to be saved by the redhead, who quickly deposited her in safer ground, close to the canal's waters. "Sorry…" Ranma told her, sniffing a bit as she tried to clean her tears. "Shouldn't have surprised ya like dat…"

"No…it's alright," Akane told her, then, noticing her bloodshot eyes, asked, "Are…are you okay?"

"Been better…"

"You…want to talk about it?"

"Nah." Silence. "…I…I almost lost control…damnit…" And Ranma slowly let herself fall, knees first, before her hands gave her balance. This only ended up worrying Akane even more.

"Ranma!" she cried, and tried to help the smaller girl up, but she wouldn't budge from her place in the ground no matter how much the other girl tried pulling her up. "Are you sure you're okay?" Akane asked hesitantly, afraid of what was to come. The redhead wasn't about to do something stupid then and there. Not like Akane expected Ranma to try to drown herself in the canal or anything like that.

"…I…I…I almost killed that asshole…Akane…" The girl in question froze. She had feared as much…but, why was she tearing herself apart from something that 'almost happened'? "…your family shouldn't keep me 'round, 'kane…I…I'm just a monster…"

"No you're not." Akane blinked as the words left her mouth, unsure of what she was doing, as Ranma turn to stare at her.

"…but…but…"

"No buts, Ranma," the blue haired interrupted, kneeling next to the redhead and patting her back. _He may be a girl now, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let him call himself a monster for something he hasn't done…_ "You're not a monster…what you did was just an impulse, believe me, I have been tempted to get Kuno in the hospital once or twice since this mess started." Ranma turned her attention back to the canal's moving waters.

"…but…I almost killed him…that's not…the same…"

"But you didn't, and that's the point. You were pissed at those boys, right? Sincerely I wouldn't blame you if you lost your temper…and that's what happen, you just lost your temper on that jerk." _Of course, not like I haven't lost my temper in a daily basis, either, _Akane mentally snorted, as she watched Ranma, whose face was hidden by her red bangs.

"…yeah…all of them…perverts…right?" the redhead said after a while, making Akane blink, before she smiled sympathetically.

"Well…that's what I think…they have been like this ever since the beginning of the school year."

"Why?" Ranma asked, as she finally settled herself into a comfortable sitting position, sniffing once or twice. Her eyes still red, but free of tears, making Akane breathe a sigh of relief.

"Kuno," Akane began, before she scowled. "First day of high school he declared his love for me and wanted to date me. I refused. He kept on going like that after a week, and suddenly one day he declares that all that wish to date me have to defeat me. Can you believe that idiot?" She sighed. "Every morning before school, a group of boys gathers at the gates to win a date with me, I always manage to beat them first, though…"

"…that explains everythin'…I guess…" the redhead said, glaring at the water as she did so. "…buncha jerks…and idiots…they…they…kinda reminded me of that asshole…" Suddenly, Ranma's body trembled with rage, but she managed to not do anything, as her companion watched her worriedly.

"…was he really…that bad? That perevert…I mean…" she asked, and later wishing she hadn't as Ranma turned to face her, her blue eyes dancing in fire.

"…he was a demon…a monster from hell…" Ranma turned to look away, before a sudden noise caught her attention, and Akane's as well. Both turned to look up, as the first drops of rain hit them on the face. "…always rains 'round here?" the redhead asked, as she helped Akane up to her feet.

"Now that I think about…I really don't know…I hardly worry about it…"

"Guess ya don't have ta worry 'bout school either then…or…ya wanna go back?"

"…Not really."

"Then let's go." And with that, both girls left the canal, and took the streets, deciding that for today, it was enough. Time to go back home.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tatewaki Kuno sat silently in his desk as he contemplated the day's events, at least, that's what everyone assumed he was doing. "How dare he! That evil sorcerer! How dare he interferes between the beauteous Akane Tendo and her samurai, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" Or maybe not, then again, Nabiki Tendo was the least surprised, and so, offered to entertain him.

"Oh, Kuno-baby, how many times are you going to repeat that anyway?" she asked him, looking bored.

"Quiet woman! Can you not see how our glorious institution has been invaded by a vile sorcerer that seeks to steal the heart of your fierce sister!"

"Believe me, if that vile sorcerer of yours tries to steal Akane's heart, then we'll accuse him of organ trafficking, not kidnapping." Nabiki smirked at the sudden confusion on Kuno's eyes.

"What?"

"Oh, nevermind. Listen, I wouldn't mess with him if you know what's good for you, Kuno. You just saw it for yourself…he's pretty strong and has a temper…especially for your kind," she added that last part in an icy tone, recalling the information that one of her informants had gathered for her that morning just before the fight could get any serious.

Out of all the things Nabiki Tendo expected Ranma Saotome to be, being a pervert hater like Akane had really not been on the list, but then again, if the stories she heard about this Happosai person were true, she really couldn't blame the guy. And with Kuno being the pervert he was, Nabiki was beginning to fear for his life…but, just a little bit. From what she had seen from her homeroom in the second floor, Ranma had had certain control over the situation, but then, he had almost lost it and had ran away as a result with her sister not far behind. If the pig-tailed boy had realized his mistake a moment too late, Kuno wouldn't even be spewing that samurai nonsense like he did every day.

"Ha! You certainly have a heart for fairy tales, Nabiki Tendo! That knave ran off before the fight could go on!"

"Oh? Really?" the shorthaired girl asked him, mockingly. "From what I gather, your feet couldn't even touch the ground when you were supposedly fighting him."

"A simple complication," Kuno replied smugly. "The sorcerer took me by surprise…but, what I want to know is…" He glared at Nabiki, who managed to look innocent. "Who is that vermin?"

"Well, I wouldn't know," Nabiki replied. "But, for five thousand yen I suddenly might." Five bills hit her desk, as Kuno waited anxiously for the information. Pocketing the money, the shorthaired girl began her tale. " His name is Ranma Saotome, he's the son of an old friend of Daddy's and he is currently staying at the dojo-"

"How can this be!" the kendoist cried, raising from his seat and drawing the attention of everyone in the room, except the teacher, who suddenly decided to ignore the class for a couple of seconds as he looked through some notes in his desk. " Staying in the fair home of Akane Tendo! No! I forbid it!"

"Well, good luck with that, Kuno-baby…" Nabiki said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I really don't think Daddy would care for what you say, either way…" She didn't need to tell him of how furious Soun had been after he found out about the dating challenge of Kuno's. And even if the pompous and delusional samurai wannabe offered him millions of yen, her father would still say no, or better yet, ignore the request altogether because of what he was forcing his little girl go through every single morning. " He and Mr. Saotome are good friends, too…so I really don't think he's going to throw away a friendship just because you say so." _Not to mention the fact that they have yet to pick a fiancé for Ranma…_she added mentally, before she wondered just how much she could sell that information for. If she simply let it slip…nah, not until it became official, then, she could really raise prices….hmm.

Before Nabiki could think more about it, a small envelop hit her desk. She blinked as she picked it up, before looking at Kuno. "And this…? If it's a check, don't bother, I prefer cash."

"It is not for you, Nabiki Tendo, it is for that sorcerer, Saotome. Give that to him." Nabiki's only response was putting the envelope back at his desk, before raising ten fingers.

"Ten thousand yen, and I won't charge for the postage stamp."

"I despise you, Nabiki Tendo," the young man said, as he gave both bills and envelope to Nabiki, who only smiled as she received her pay.

"You don't know how happy that makes me, Kuno-baby…but, really," she said, as she put both cash and envelope away. " You really should rethink about challenging Ranma, you know…"

"And why would that be, woman?"

"Remember that beautiful evening with rain and rainbows when that flying cow came by last week? Well, Ranma's the one that fought against that thing, and won." At that, Kuno laughed.

"It is you that is full of misinformation, Nabiki Tendo, for it was not that vile Saotome who fought that beast, but a maiden with red locks! It was that wondrous goddess that triumphed over the beast!" Nabiki smiled, before replying,

"Really? I could have sworn that maiden of yours was actually a man."

"Ha! Mere lies!"

"Kuno-kun, please go to the hall." Came the teacher's reply, as he began his lesson once more.

As she watched Kuno leave the classroom, Nabiki took out the envelope that the kendoist had given her. _Might as well place bets early on…can't miss an opportunity like this…but…_Nabiki hardly paid attention to the lesson as she contemplated on how tomorrow's earnings would be like.

**

* * *

**

"This shit's too fuckin' early," Ranma grumbled, as he read the challenge letter once more, as he and Akane walked side by side towards school the next day.

Both had gotten quite an earful from their parents that neither wanted to repeat, but then again, if that left them alone for the day, so be it. Besides, Akane really didn't care if she was absent or not, if that kept her away from Kuno, she could take the extra homework, no sweat.

"That was fast…even for a challenge," Akane remarked, as she glanced at what the letter said, meanwhile the boy next to her shook his head in disgust.

"I don't fuckin' feel like kicking that kendo sucker today…I really don't…"

"Well, it's not like you can just ignore Kuno, you know," Akane pointed out. "I tried, and now I have a bunch of perverts ready to beat me up for a date," she added with a frown.

"Ya ain't fightin' today, 'kane…" Ranma suddenly told her, making her tense up.

" What!" she cried, her anger returning tenfold. No one told her who she could fight with! No one! "You think I can't beat a group of boys! You think I-"

"Ya won't beat them up, cause if they touch ya I take their teeth out first," the pig-tailed boy said, his face darkening. At that, Akane's temper cooled off. Had she heard him right? But...she could take them, she really could!

"You don't have to do that, you know," she said after a while, after considering the reasons on why he was doing this. The girl had suddenly noticed that Ranma was blushing and had grown nervous all of the sudden.

"…well…I…I just don't wanna…ya know…ya…hurt…or something…yeah…" At that, Akane's eyes seem to sparkle, before she smiled.

"Thanks," Ranma looked quickly away before his face could turn another shade of red, making Akane's smile even wider. _He may be a boy, but he's nice…but, still…I can fight my fights! _Replacing her smile with a frown, Akane looked up as both of them finally arrived at school, the horde of boys already waiting for them. Before them, the pompous Kuno Tatewaki stood, bokken out, a smug look on his face.

"At last, the vile sorcerer has arrived! Prepare yourself, fiend! For I, Tatewaki Kuno sha-" Kuno never managed to finish his speech before Ranma's foot got him straight in the face, sending the older boy straight to the floor, bokken still in hand. No one moved as the pig-tailed boy removed himself from the kendoist, and they all watched with mild fascination as Kuno just lay there, only for him to turn and stare back at Ranma standing before him. "That hurt you know…" Seconds later, he was down for the count.

Behind him, both boys and Akane blinked, before they stared at one another. One of the bolder ones finally spoke up, backing as far away from Ranma as he could, "How about we go to school, eh? It is getting late…" A sound of agreement rang throughout the crowd almost immediately, before they all ran away, the school being their only destination. Ranma and Akane just stood there, confused.

"…Umm…" Akane began, looking at Ranma, who like her, had a confused expression all over his face. "…maybe we should just go now?"

"…good idea…" Both teenagers quickly ran towards the school, leaving Kuno behind. Minutes later, Nabiki Tendo came out of the school, and with a shake of her head, began dragging the unconscious kendoist towards the infirmary.

"Sometimes Kuno-baby, you are too hardheaded for your own good."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Alright then, class…today we will have a new student joining us," the teacher began, as Ranma stood in front of the classroom, bowing.

"My name is Ranma Saotome, pleased…ta…ah, met ya…" he said, a tint of embarrassment in his face.

On her seat, Akane couldn't help but feel sorry for him. _Poor guy, _she thought, as the teacher told the class about how Ranma had been in China recently and other things Akane already knew by heart. _He's pretty nervous…maybe a little more nervous than when he met us…_She watched calmly as the teacher continued on with saying a little bit of Ranma's life to the class.

"Please make Ranma-kun feel comfortable here, alright everyone? Now, Ranma, since you and Miss Tendo know each other, why don't you seat next to her?" At that, Ranma began to blush a bit more, as he took his seat, people whispering all around him, especially the girls. Akane, for her part, just ignored the rumors and nodded as the pig-tailed boy sat down. He returned the nod, rather shyly, and turned to look back at the teacher, as he began his lesson for the day.

**

* * *

**

Rain hit hard unto the streets of Nerima, as the people hid behind umbrellas or anything that could offer cover. One person in particular, this one holding a large umbrella over his head as he walked, looked towards any possible direction. _Damn…where the hell am I now! I'm pretty sure that school is around here somewhere, if that somewhere is the 'right' place! _Stopping in his tracks, the young man began to look around once more, trying to find any sign of a building that looked like a school or something of the sort. After a few minutes, he lost his patience and turned his attention to a nearby pedestrian.

"You!" he cried, pointing a finger at the man, who could only blinked in confusion.

"Me?" the man asked, but then gulped, as he caught the younger man's glare.

"Can you tell me where I am?"

"…Umm…in Nerima…"

"Finally! AT LAST!" the younger man cried, as he chuckled, a smirk appearing in his face. "And would you happen to know where I can find Furinkan High School?"

"…just a couple of blocks away…turn right, then left…it's this really big building, you know? You can't possibly miss it," the man told the stranger, as he began to point at the directions the younger man should go. He was suddenly surprised when the young man bowed, and thanked the older man for his troubles, only for the stranger to go the opposite direction of where Furinkan High School was. Two hours later, the people of Nerima were greeted with a cry of,

"ARGH! WHERE THE HELL IS THAT FUCKING SCHOOL!"

* * *

Another character, another introduction...maybe I made it a little obvious, didnt I? Anyway, next chapter will be a little longer than this one, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, next chapter expect another fight and stuff, and well, more Kuno trashing...and a different direction in someone else's curse...and a certain fear.

Stay tune and please leave a review and any advice you might give is welcomed!

Edit(12/16/10): Fixed a few things.


	4. Lovely Consequences

Fyras14: Hello, Fyras here again! Anyway, another early updated! I have this sudden inspiration all of the sudden! Unfortunately, I was running out of fuel when I wrote this one, so, next chapter will conclude this rather small arc in the story...it is quite a short chapter, however, so I apologize for that...

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

_

* * *

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. _

**-Buddha (563 BC-483 BC) **

**-Chapter Three-**

**-Lovely Consequences- **

"Ranma sure did a number on you, Kuno-baby," Nabiki said, smirking. Next to her, Kuno Tatewaki was looking at himself in the mirror at the large footprint that decorated his face. Kuno only growled back at the Nabiki without looking away from the mirror, as he heard her laugh.

"Silence, woman! I shall never accept this! I, Tatewaki Kuno, the star of the kendo world, declares it so!" Nabiki and a few other students nearby, shook their heads.

"Please, Kuno, you barely had a chance…although, you can repeat it as many times as you want." _You can't imagine how much money I made from that fight,_ she added mentally. The kendoist only glared at her, before a look of confidence passed through his eyes. Kuno bolted out of his desk and boldly declared,

"But of course! The fight with this vile sorcerer has yet to end! I shall destroy this evil being and rescue the fierce Akane Tendo from his grasp!" Nabiki raised an eyebrow at her classmate, before smirking once more.

"Oh well, Kuno-baby…good luck with that and all…" Kuno never heard her as he dashed away from the classroom, the teacher barely taking notice of his absence as he continued with his lesson. _Then again, with your luck…it's a wonder Saotome went easy on you…Of course, not that I care…hmm…I wonder how the odds will be like at lunch…I'm pretty sure Kuno-baby isn't going to leave Saotome alone for a really, really long time…_As she thought, the shouts of a mad kendoist were faintly heard coming out of the hallway.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ranma didn't know whether to fall asleep, or doodle on his notebook; this class was so boring!

Sighing, and deciding that the teacher's speech about numbers and formulas was too much for him, the pig-tailed boy decided to sketch on his notebook that he had recently gotten from Akane that morning. Akane…

The boy made a face as he realized that in that small moment he had began to write Akane's name over and over again in the opened notebook. Looking panicked, Ranma stole a glance towards Akane, and was relieved to find out that she was busy looking down at her own notebook with the few formulas before her. Turning back to his notebook, Ranma made quick work of erasing the name almost immediately, sighing in relief that a small crisis had just been averted. _Why did I write her name, anyway? _he thought, as he began to sketch a small panda on the page…then a girl…AKANE! Flushing slightly, Ranma quickly erased the doodles, almost willing to smack his head on the desk. _ARG! Why can't I stop thinking about her! I wasn't this bad a week ago…_He glanced at the blue-haired girl, who still was busy with the problems that teacher had on the board. _Stupid! Stupid! She's cute…yeah…but…but…ya gotta get it outta your head, Saotome…I'm not…gonna…be like that letch…_Shaking his head at the sudden thought that entered his mind, Ranma decided to finally focus on the school work before him…at least, that was before Kuno entered the class and was pointing his bokken at his direction.

"FIEND!" the kendoist cried, ignoring the irritated teacher behind him. At that moment, Ranma didn't know if either to feel disgusted, or glad that Kuno had shown up to distract him from his thoughts.

"Idiot," the pig-tailed boy greeted, drawing a few snickers from his classmates, and a small smile from Akane, which he took no notice of.

"I challenge you, vile sorcerer! Here! NOW! STRIKE! STRIKE!" Ranma's eyes suddenly widen when Kuno began to attack the younger man with his bokken, as some of the others avoided the sharp wooden sword.

"MORON! WHATCHA DOIN'?" Ranma cried, as he tackled the kendoist to the floor before he could strike anyone. Akane was behind him, asking a few of the people that had been close to the attack if they were fine. "Tryin' to kill someone, ya moron!"

"Nay! Only defeat you, I shall! BEGIN!" Getting up from the floor, Kuno continued his attack once more. Ranma had no chance to cover this time, however, and quickly found himself at the mercy of the kendoist's bokken. Despite the hits, however, Ranma barely seemed affected, only flinching once or twice at the bruises and few cuts the wooden sword was leaving behind. "STRIKE! STRIKE!" Kuno cried, sending harder strikes against his opponent.

_I'm getting tired of this…kendo boy here will really hurt someone…I gotta get outta here! _Ranma quickly stopped the bokken from striking him again with his left hand, surprising many of the students nearby, even Akane. "Listen, idiot! Let's take this outside, eh!" Using the bokken to lift the older boy up, Ranma threw the kendoist outside of class, before he, too, left, charging away into the hallway. Kuno was not too far behind, and seconds later, most of Ranma's class was out of the classroom as well. "Come on, dork! Follow!" the pig-tailed boy cried, as he opened a nearby window and jumped, with Kuno right behind him.

"Whoa! They just jumped out of the third floor!" one boy cried out, as a few girls looked on worriedly. Akane managed to make it to the window, and look down. Her face blanched as she realized where both Ranma and Kuno were heading to. _The pool! _

"Good thing the pool's just down there!" another student cried, looking down from another window, as Akane left the crowd of students. _Hot water! _she thought, as she made her way downstairs.

Just outside, and falling down fast, Kuno and Ranma fought. "Vile Saotome, taste my wrath!" Kuno cried, as he held unto the younger man's red shirt.

"Ack! Kuno, lay off!" Ranma cried, as his eyes caught the pool below. _Shit! Water…just what I—_

**SPLASH! **

"AUGH!" Ranma cried, as she tried to take air, Kuno hugging her tightly as she went to the surface.

"I have got you now, vile one!" he cried, completely oblivious to the sudden change of sex of his opponent. He held unto Ranma tighter, until the small redhead growled out,

"GET OFFA ME, YOU PERVERTED ASSHOLE!" Kuno only managed to blink in surprise, before he was grabbed by his hakama, and thrown, only for him to feel a small fist slamming against his head. The kendoist lost consciousness seconds later, the image of a redheaded girl taking off from the pool wearing his hated foe's clothes burning into his mind.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Akane soon found Ranma on top of a tree, trying to get the water off of her black pants. "You okay?" she called out towards the redhead, who had finally acknowledged her presence.

"…persistent little mule, ain't he?" the redhead asked her, as she finished drying her black pants as best as she could, before putting them on. The taller girl only shrugged, as Ranma landed next to her, and took the kettle from her hands, and dumping the contents unto her head.

"More than just persistent. If I know Kuno well, he won't stop until he gets what he wants."

"Meanin' my head's got to be in this silver plate of his for him to leave me 'lone?" the now, male Ranma, asked her.

"You could say," another voice answered. Both teenagers looked behind them, and spotted Nabiki hiding in the trees nearby. "Kuno's a delicate case that requires drastic measures to be handled."

"And what are you doing here, sis?" Akane asked her, looking confused. "Lunch starts in twenty minutes…" The middle Tendo sister only managed a smirk, before she answered.

"Well, thanks to the disruption both wonder girl, here, and Kuno-baby caused, the teachers decided to let us out early for lunch," she explained, winking at Ranma. "Not that I'm complaining about it…come on, let's get our lunch and eat, I'm starving."

* * *

The last cry of the Furinkan Clock announced the end of classes for the students, who all quickly crowded to the exit, willing to get home as fast as they could. In the middle of the crowd, being ignored by the leaving students, stood a young man with a yellow bandana tied on his forehead. He carried a heavy backpack and an umbrella, and was looking from left to right, frowning as he did so.

_Where is he! _the young man mentally cried, looking around the crowd of students frantically, in fear that that someone was going to get away. Before he could grab some unfortunate student and ask for this person, the young man suddenly saw a flash of red in the crowd, and a rather familiar black pig-tail. _RANMA! _And then, he jumped.

"RANMA SAOTOME! PREPARE TO DIE!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

If there was one thing Ranma never forgot about his father's teachings, it was never let your guard down, no matter where you are. The place, be it in the jungle, a swamp, and even a crowded mall, was dangerous. You never knew just what type of maniac would decide to show up at any given moment, so it was no wonder when the sudden cry of, "RANMA SAOTOME! PREPARE TO DIE!" rang in the air, causing passerby's and even the two Tendo sisters behind him, to look around in alarm. There was trouble, and a lot of it, and Ranma didn't waste any time of getting out of trouble, as he quickly jumped to another area before the attack could land.

The pig-tailed boy acknowledged his opponent, who still kneeled in the ground, his large umbrella held firmly with both hands just on top of the small crater that he had created seconds ago. "Ryoga," Ranma said, as his opponent, Ryoga, looked back at him, a ferocious scowl in his face.

"Ranma, it's been what? Two years?" he asked the boy before him, his face showing only anger.

"…a few years," the other boy admitted, nodding. "What do ya want now, Ryoga?"

"What do you mean what I want!" Ryoga cried, his anger rising even more, while the other students watching nearby cowered away from the scene. "YOU COWARD! YOU RAN OUT ON OUR DUEL!" Ranma's calm face never shook, despite Ryoga's yelling, as the pig-tailed boy shrugged.

"It's your own fault, Ryoga."

"NO, IT ISN'T!" the bandana wearing boy cried out, pointing his umbrella straight at Ranma. "You ran out on our duel! And because of you, I have seen hell!" At that, Ranma raised an eyebrow, a hint of concern in his face.

"What?"

"Don't you 'what?' me, Ranma!" Ryoga yelled again, oblivious to the sudden worry in his hated enemy's voice. "You are the reason I have seen hell, so now, prepare yourself!" Before anyone could blink, Ryoga was running towards Ranma again, umbrella in front of him. The pig-tailed boy, however, didn't dodge, and instead stood his ground as the umbrella and his two hands collided against each other. Gasps and cries of surprise rang from the spectators nearby, as the two boys struggled against their own strength. "You haven't lost your edge, have you, Ranma?" Ryoga asked the boy before him, who was struggling to keep up with Ryoga's own strength.

"You're still good," Ranma commented, before he head butted Ryoga, catching the bandana wearing boy by surprise. As he struggled to get his senses under control, Ranma spun, and gave him a hard kick in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Ryoga didn't let that hit face him, and he got up, ready to face his hated enemy once more, when he suddenly realized, Ranma was gone.

"DAMN YOU, SAOTOME!" Ryoga cried, as he ran towards the school. "DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME, YOU COWARD!"

No one in the crowd dared to point out to the running boy that the coward in question had been behind him all this time.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So, who was that guy, anyway?" Akane asked, as she, Nabiki, and Ranma made their way back to the dojo, minutes later.

"Yeah, I mean, I can understand Kuno-baby wanting your head, but, a complete stranger?" Nabiki asked, looking at him with an icy look that offered trouble. "He almost crushed your head with that umbrella of his."

"Yes, like…like if he had the strength of a monster!" Akane cried, sounding very worried all of the sudden.

"Ryoga's just that…kinda hard to keep his temper in check…strength like a monster's," Ranma told them, looking a bit sad as he said this.

"So, what is it about your running out on a duel, Saotome?" the middle Tendo asked, taking notice on the sudden change in his mood when he spoke about Ryoga.

"…happened long time ago," Ranma began, closing his eyes, no longer walking. The two sisters followed suit as well, as they watched the boy. "Ya do know 'bout this curse and all, right? Well, Ryoga didn't know at that time, when he met me…" At that, both Nabiki and Akane's eyes widen.

"You don't mean…" the blue-haired girl began, only for Ranma to stop her with a nod.

"Yep…since this curse of mine is very unpredictable…well…let's say that every time I met Ryoga…I was always a redheaded girl…" Everyone was silent for a minute, before Nabiki decided to break it.

"…Okay, so you played him for a fool, then?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then what, Ranma?" Akane asked, her voice hiding a small trace of anger. "What you obviously did to Ryoga was not very nice…"

"Well…it's not like I asked for this!" Ranma cried out, making the two sisters cringe a bit at the sudden emotion. "Every single time something wet got me in the face, and poof! there was Ryoga! …I really wanted ta tell him about me an' my curse, but…I kinda chickened out…and seeing as he was the only friend I had in a long time…" The pig-tailed boy leaned against a nearby wall, and lowered to the ground, grabbing his head with both hands. "I never knew that moron woulda fall in love with me…"

"Umm…excuse me...HE WHAT?" Nabiki cried, unable to believe what she had just heard. Her little sister, for her part, had kept silent, and watched in silence as Ranma just sat there, agonizing over something that he never meant to happen.

…_he's sad again…_Akane thought, worry for her friend overriding her shock at the sudden revelation. _He didn't know how to handle the situation…and if it had been me, I wouldn't know how to handle the situation, either…but still…_

"Well, not to be mean or anything Saotome, but," Nabiki began, coughing a bit to catch their attention. "To me, lover boy back there, didn't seem too cuddly with you or anything like that."

"Course not," was the simple response, but Ranma had yet to move from his position. "He found out 'bout the curse before me and Pops…and…and that other guy left for China again…he decided to say good-bye and stuff…and well…I was taking a bath and he found me out…"

"He spied on you, naked? As a girl?" Akane asked, visibly shaken by the revelation.

"No…I never bathed without clothes with that…that letch 'round…especially if I was a girl…" The sudden coldness in his voice made the other two sisters turn to each other, before looking back at Ranma.

"So, I assume, after your ex found out about the curse…and decided on a duel?" A nod answered Nabiki's question.

"Yeah…thought that if I let him beat me to a pulp, he'll feel better…but," Ranma looked up at them, a small smile appeared on his lips. "Ryoga Hibiki has the worse sense of direction…ever."

"A bad sense of direction? What do you mean by that?" the blue-haired girl asked him, as she sat next to him, while her older sister leaned against the wall nearby.

"Ryoga could get lost in a room with only one door…that's just how bad his direction sense is."

"You're kidding, right?" the older girl asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, he didn't exactly looked both ways before he charged away when he was fightin' with me…" Ranma pointed out, as he got up again. "I waited for three days straight…by the fourth, the…the…letch forced me and Pops into a boat, and we left to China…I'm guessing Ryoga was rather pissed by it, and left to go look for me…that moron…" Shaking his head, he looked at the two Tendo sisters, before saying, "Knowing Ryoga, he will be stayin' around Nerima for a while…and it wouldn't come as a surprise if he sends a challenge letter or something, either…" And with that, all three of them headed home, not saying a word.

* * *

Alright, before people point things out...well, this scenario has been done before, believe me...but, in a few stories that i have read and this has happened, Ryoga doesnt find out until later in the story...of course, depending on the few, "Ranma gets cursed earlier" stories that are on the site...or in another. Anyway, the conversation here seemed rather pointless, but the conversation is there for a reason.

Anyway, next chapter will probably be longer than this, I guarantee it. I hope I didnt make them too OOC here..

Do leave a review, please! Any advice, too, that you can give can be helpful! See ya until next chapter!

Edit(12/16/10): Fixed a few things!


	5. Darkness

Fyras14: Yo, folks! Finally Chapter four of this story is up and running...alright this new chapter gives more insight on Ranma's behavior, this chapter too, will explain some of Akane's feelings concerning Ranma(although it isnt much). Also, I notice that I havent done a good job on explaining Akane's feelings about Dr. Tofu, which will be cleared up next chapter...in the best possible way.

Anyway, about the updates, I'm back at school and probably I wont be updating for a while...maybe I will have another update by May...anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

_

* * *

Whenever at an accusation blind rage burns up within us, the reason is that some arrow has pierced the joints of our harness. Behind our shining armor of righteous indignation lurks a convicted and only half-repentant sinner ... [and] we may be almost sure some sharp and bitter grain of truth lurks within it and the wound is best probed._

**-Jane Harrison**

**-Chapter Four-**

**-Darkness****- **

The creature huffed in annoyance as it looked at the ground below, head turning left and right as it searched for its prey, yet finding no sign of red or black anywhere. It was times like this that made Pantyhose Taro incredibly angry. Angry at a redheaded girl for beating him up, angry at that same redheaded girl for making his life a living hell, and angry at the dreaded Master, who was already dead.

It was times like this that made Taro think that his life just couldn't get any worse. If only people back in the village never made fun of him and his name, if only his curse wasn't such…such a monster, perhaps people would respect him, not fear him, but, who was he kidding? Taro didn't care for those weaklings that dare call themselves martial artists! What did they know of power! What did they know of Happosai! What did Ranma know! It was all his fault!

"MOOOORRRRAAAA!" cried the beast, stretching his limps in midair, as he recalled his rage for the pig-tailed boy, sometimes girl. _It's because of him that I can never change my name! When I find him…I will choke him! _Making the appropriate gestures during his flight, Taro imagined wringing the neck of his hated foe and seconds later stopped, letting out another roar of rage. _It won't matter what I do to that bastard! He always gets up! AAAARGHHH! RANMA SAOTOME, WHEN I FIND YOU AGAIN, YOU BETTER WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN! _

Growling at no one in particular, the beast flew closer to ground, only to stop when a strange woman with red hair and a kimono caught his attention. _Who…? Femboy…? No…that's a real woman! _Taro blinked once or twice, before he watched the woman disappear around the corner, before the monster decided to give chase.

**

* * *

**

"So, what do you think of Saotome, little sis?" Nabiki casually asked, as she lay on her Akane's bed, reading manga as said sister worked on some homework on her desk.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you haven't said anything bad to him in the last two days he's stayed here…I mean, 'No pervert', 'Jerk', you know, the usual insults…" Akane looked up from her homework and scowled at her sister.

"Ranma, despite being a boy, is nice. Even if some things of his past are uncalled for, he doesn't deserve my hate for something he hasn't done yet, besides," the blue-haired girl looked down at her book before her. "he cares." At that, her older sister raised an eyebrow, confused.

"He cares? And what exactly do you mean by that?" Akane shook her head.

"Not sure…look, I still don't like boys, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to start hating Ranma because he's a boy..." Nabiki was silent for a few minutes, before she muttered,

"Must be that time of the month, then."

"NABIKI!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Soun and Genma faced each other on the shogi board, their concentration upon the board undeterred. Nearby, Kasumi hummed a gentle song, busying herself with cleaning the kitchen, ignoring the men in the middle of their game. Had she been closer and born with a perfect earshot, the oldest Tendo daughter would have heard her father and Mr. Saotome mutter something about fiancés and the future of the schools.

"Still, Tendo, we must decide by the end of this week," Genma whispered, as he placed once of his pieces in close proximity of his opponents own. The Tendo patriarch, for his part, was silent for a couple of minutes, before he placed his own piece, opposite to Genma's own.

"I agree fully with you, Saotome, but still," Soun watched as his old friend placed a second piece close to his own pieces. "with Ranma's emotional behavior…it concerns me…living with the Master left nothing but emotional scars on the poor boy…despite having only been here two days, I can tell he is angry. Very angry…."

"That is understandable," the bald man replied, as Soun made his move. "but my boy needs help as well…he cannot stay angry forever…and has to learn to move on from hate…and that's why we must get on with this fiancé business. If one of the girls were to help Ranma with his emotional state, perhaps…" He made a face when he noticed that during his small dialogue, one of his many pieces had disappeared from the shogi board. Genma glanced to the side, towards were the koi pond lay, before he asked, "Tendo, why is there a shogi piece floating in the pond?"

"Nonsense, Saotome, it is just food for the koi," Soun told him, brushing the question off. "Anyway, maybe you are right about this, old friend…but, we must break the news softly….especially when Akane is involved…Nabiki and Kasumi, well…" The Tendo patriarch glanced at his oldest daughter, before turning back to face Genma. "Neither would want this engagement…Nabiki loves money with some level of control, but, I can see she won't be bothered, and well…Kasumi….ah…my little girl seems to be…interested in another man…and well…I wouldn't want to break my girl's heart…" As if it were the magic word to some sort of fountain, Soun's eyes were filled with tears, as Genma watched on. After a moment, the Saotome patriarch sighed and muttered,

"…so…it's Akane, then." Suddenly, tears of happiness spilled from Soun's eyes.

"The school's will finally be joined! WAH! I'm so proud of my little—um…Saotome…are those three shogi pieces you just threw to the koi pond?"

"What are you talking about, Tendo? It's just food for the koi! HA! I win!"

"W-wait! How did that happen?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As plans were made behind their backs, Ranma did katas in the dojo; his movements were fast, serene, and almost deadly despite being only practice. He kicked, punched, somersaulted, and repeated, still unsure of what to think of the day's events. First Kuno, sincerely, for all Ranma cared, that wannabe samurai could go to hell. He was obnoxious, delusional, and a pervert…and most of all…he…caused Akane some sort of pain he couldn't forgive him for.

_Argh! I'm thinkin' of her again! Shit! _Ranma stopped his punch, as he panted, sweat leaving his brow and hitting the floor. _I shoulda…I shoulda…have not left…when I did…I would have taken care of that asshole…Argh…here I go again…thinkin' 'bout that letch…shit…shit…_He kneeled on the ground, tears of rage threatening to come out of his eyes. _And…and then Ryoga comes and goes…shit…shit! He had to…he had to…I…I…never wanted this…_

"Ranma?" The pig-tail boy suddenly raised his head up, and caught Akane standing nearby, worry evident on her face.

_AKANE! _ Without moments to lose, Ranma quickly turned away from the girl, hiding his eyes with his black bangs. "Heya, 'kane," he said after a while. "W-what's up?" _Damn it…keep your temper, Saotome…you don't wanna hurt someone…especially not Akane…_He felt a hand on his shoulder, and felt tempted to swipe the hand away, but the pig-tailed boy controlled himself. _She's…not…him…! _Ranma could hear a soft gasp behind him, and he noticed too late that he was shaking…was it…rage or…something else? Fear?

"Ranma! Ranma!" Akane cried out, shaking the pig-tailed boy by the shoulder, panicked. "Are you okay?" Ranma felt his hand touch Akane's own, his cheeks were red for a second, before they returned to their normal hue.

"F-fine…just…just…angry…today's not been a good day…"

"…is it..about Ryoga?" the blue-haired girl asked after a while.

"…yeah…but…but mostly, my life in general," he told her, finally managing a smile, which Akane returned. _Damn…that smile…_The cursed boy was rather surprised when the girl's smile turned into a frown, as she gave him a small envelope.

"For you."

"M…me?" Ranma opened it, and after a few seconds, put a hand on his forehead. "Moron…Ryoga…why not justa let it go…?" He didn't wait for Akane to answer him, after all, who could?

**

* * *

**

The following days were written in disaster for both Ranma and Akane, despite the fact that no longer did the boys crowd to beat the blue-haired girl up for a date. Kuno Tatewaki was one of the many problems that the pig-tailed boy faced, and even the rumors many students invented about him and Akane couldn't compare to the hate that Ranma was feeling for Kuno. While he could deal with mere words, Kuno's actions were driving him nuts, to a certain degree that he was forced to twist the kendoist's ankle just for him to be left alone for the rest of the day. He wasn't pleased to know that Kuno had recovered the very next day, and was more than ready to take care of the 'vile Saotome'.

There was also the matter of Ryoga's challenge that didn't sit well with Ranma, but no matter how he tried, he simply could not ignore it. Sooner or later, the bandana clad boy would come around again and start trouble, and sincerely, that was the last thing that Ranma needed right now. So, it came as no surprise, that a week after, Ryoga Hibiki once again made his presence known in Furinkan High. Least to say, Ranma was anything but happy.

"So, you have finally come, Ranma," Ryoga sneered at the pig-tail boy, who stood still, hands behind his back. Around them, crowded among the empty lot, students from Furinkan watched the tension rise, as Nabiki called out bets. Akane stood nearby, watching the scene before her.

_Ranma's too calm…_she thought, worriedly, glancing at her sister who was holding a betting pool nearby. Akane turned back to face Ranma, and noticed the slight shaking of his left arm. _Is he nervous…? Or…angry? _Flashbacks to that time with that Pantyhose Taro beast began to go through her mind; Akane had seen the rage in the redhead's eyes, the power, the grief at the end of the fight. Was Ranma's own emotional state…out of control? What if…what if he tried to kill Ryoga! _NO! _Akane cried, shaking her head. _Ranma would never do such a thing…would…would he? _Doubts filled her mind once again, a strange feeling constricting against her heart…was she afraid or worried?

"RANMA! NO MORE BACKING DOWN!" Ryoga cried out, snapping Akane out of her reverie, getting her attention back to the two boys nearby. "I have waited two years for my revenge! And due to that, I have seen hell! Prepare yourself!" As he cried out this last words, the bandana wearing boy ran straight towards his opponent.

Akane held her breathe as she watched Ranma evade blow after blow from the angry boy. He moved too fast, even for Ryoga to follow, which only worked to anger the bandana wearing boy even more. "Damn it, Saotome! Stop running aw-" Akane flinched as Ranma gave the boy a hard kick straight in the face, sending his opponent straight to the ground. Cries of surprise rang all around the blue-haired girl, but they soon died out when Ryoga quickly got up, spitting a bit of blood. "So," he began, tacking his umbrella out and pointing it at the pig-tail boy. "you are ready to fight me for real, Ranma!"

"Ryoga…why do ya wanna keep on going?"

"Shut up! Because of you, I have seen hell! YAH!" Before Ranma could react, Ryoga crashed his umbrella straight on the other boy's chest, sending him crushing on the ground.

"RANMA!" Akane cried, as panic filled her. Suddenly, the fight between Pantyhose and Ranma was replaying on her mind again; girl Ranma crushing against fences and concrete, before sending the beast away. Blood. Pain. Would it be like last time too? When she had began to worry about a mere stranger…just like now.

"Ha! Fool! DODGE THIS!" Ryoga jumped, and tried to crash the heavy umbrella on the fallen boy, only to growl in rage as Ranma quickly dodged the blow, rolling out of the way. Everyone watched as the umbrella hit the ground, creating a small crater were once Ranma lay.

"I don't believe it!" One student yelled, as they watched Ranma return the blow to the bandana clad boy, sending him back a few feet.

"Just how heavy is that umbrella, anyway!" Another yelled, causing immediate uproar within the spectators nearby. Akane, for her part, was not amused. That boy, Ryoga, had strength belonging to a giant, just like…

_Pantyhose! _she thought in shock. "Ranma! Look out! He's got the strength of a monster!"

"Hehehe…so what!" Ryoga cried, as he and Ranma traded blows, all which were easily dodged by both. "You have me figured out, eh, Ranma?" The pig-tailed boy responded his foe with a scowl, before punching him straight in the stomach, sending him far. "URK!"

"Ya can stop this while it's still fresh, Ryoga!" Ranma cried, as he sent a kick towards his rival, only for it to be dodged, and an umbrella thrown his way.

"SHUT UP! It took me two years to find you, Saotome! You have no idea what I have suffered BECAUSE OF YOU!" From his back, Ryoga suddenly produced a pair of strange handcuffs, attaching one to himself, before he sent the other towards Ranma. Said boy didn't react on time, before the second handcuff attached itself hard on his arm. "Now, you can't escape!" Ranma only looked disdainfully at the handcuff that was attached to his arm, before he jumped towards Ryoga, trying to punch the boy.

"Let me go, Ryoga!"

"NEVER! Now you pay!" Both punched and kicked each other with a ferocity, that made everyone around them flinch. Finally, Ryoga and Ranma collided, each falling far away from each other, but still held together by the handcuffs. The bandana wearing boy quickly moved to retrieve his fallen umbrella, as the other boy got up. "Now, Ranma! PREPARE YOURSELF!" Once again, Ryoga ran towards Ranma, only to be kicked hard, sending him flying towards a nearby fountain, at the same time, breaking off the handcuffs that held to two together. _Damn! Water! _Ryoga thought, as he quickly opened the umbrella, hiding from the rain that suddenly erupted from the broken fountain. Ranma followed the other boy, while the students were not too far behind.

No one noticed when Ranma quickly changed gender upon the touch of water, except for Akane and Nabiki, who were in front of the crowd of students that had suddenly formed around the broken fountain and the two fighters.

It didn't take long for the redhead to notice the opened umbrella on top of her rival's head, and when she did, her eyes widen in shock. "Ry-ryoga! Are you-"

"Shut up!" Ryoga cried, still covering himself from the water. "I don't wanna hear you, Saotome, now," still holding the umbrella, Ryoga took out a set of bandanas, and grinned menacingly at his female opponent. "let's see you dodge this!" Before Ranma knew what was happening, Ryoga threw the bandanas towards her. The redhead cried out in pain as the bandanas swept past, scratching her on her chest and arms. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one hurt, as the bandanas soon lost interest on the cursed boy, and caught the nearby students by surprise.

"EEK!"

"Watch out, bandanas on the loose!"

"LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!"

"DON'T PUSH!"

"MOVE! MOVE!"

Everyone quickly moved out of the way, crying out in panic as the bandanas circled them. Few were unable to evade the razor-sharp bandanas and so, clutched the injured limbs and ran off. Akane, for her part, was frantically looking for her older sister, who was somewhere around the frantic crowd, unfortunately the blue-haired girl was quick to forget the danger around her.

"AKANE!" The shout came a second too late for Akane, who could already feel the sensation of something cutting behind her. It was on pure reflex that she went to check her neck, surprised that no blood was present, but something was missing. This was another small distraction on her part, when she didn't notice the second bandana going her way, only seconds later, facing the ground, with a slender arm behind her back informed her that the danger was far from over.

Ranma had barely managed to save Akane on time before the flying knives could do more damage. She paid no mind to the remains of blue hair that lay on the floor, her main concern were Akane, Nabiki, and the horde of panicked students. Getting up, Ranma quickly ran to grab the bandanas, not caring if they pierced her skin as she did so. Students moved out of her way as she made to grab the dangerous headgear, and in no time, Ranma's bloody hands held the bandanas. She looked back at Ryoga, who could only stare dumbfounded at the scene, apparently, having been driven out of his rage by the screams of nearby students.

"Ya happy now!" Ranma cried out, throwing the bandanas to the floor, were they remained. Her face was a mask of fury, with a red aurora circling around her. "Ya damn happy now, ya moron? Ya could have killed someone!" The boy, for his part, was gulping nervously at the scene before him, oblivious of his rival's rage.

"I…I didn't," he began, only to be cut short by a fierce jab on his stomach, which sent him to the floor, straight towards a nearby tree. Upon making contact with the tree, Ryoga cried out in pain, and collapsed. Ranma, however, didn't give him a chance to recover, and was on top of him like a tiger to its prey.

"YA WANNA KILL SOMEONE!" Ranma cried, as she punched him in the face. "I SHOULDA…I SHOULDA…"

_No! STOP! Somebody stop me! PLEASE!_

"I SHOULDA!" The redhead girl's tiny fists crashed against Ryoga, barely allowing the half-conscious boy to breath. He had tried to defend himself once or twice, but had found the task impossible, due to Ranma's high-speed strikes. "I SHOULDA! I REALLY SHOULD...!"

…_stop…someone…stop me…I can't…can't…can't…I'm gonna kill him! SOMEONE, ANYONE! …help me…_

"RANMA! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

_That voice…._

"PLEASE! STOP HITTING HIM! HE LOST!"

…_voice…so sweet…and kind…so afraid…I don't wanna…I…I…please…._

"PLEASE, RANMA!" As if by magic, the redhead girl stopped her attack at last. Both she and Ryoga looked at each other, and the boy was amazed to see tears on the girl's eyes; he was too shocked and injured to do nothing but watch.

…_thank you…_

At that moment, Ranma lost all her strength, and fainted.

* * *

The fiance business finally comes to a conclusion...at last(I almost forgot to put this up!) And also Taro's plot is revealed...and as you may notice, someone may actually turn up earlier than expected...

Next chapter, another confrontation and feelings revealed.

Edit(12/16/10): Fixed a few things.


	6. Tragic Tragedies

Fyras14: Hello, folks! Fyras here, again...another update! Yeah! Sorry to keep you waiting...too much on my mind...and well, my semester is coming to an end by the end of the month...and well...I have a lot of work to keep up with...sigh...anyway, bad thoughts aside, here is Chapter five of the story...now, a few things to clear up;

No, Akane will not completely resolve the issue with her crush on you know who, but she came to a realization here...I still need to work on that. Also, we return back to Taro, again! Next chapter, however, new troubles arise for Ranma...and well, that is not going to be a nice situation...this chapter reveals Ryoga's curse, and a secret!

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

**Edit: 6/10/10, fixed some errors here and there...  
**

**

* * *

**

_"A man who has been in danger,_  
_ When he comes out of it forgets his fears,_  
_ And sometimes he forgets his promises."_

**-****Euripides - _Iphigenia in Tauris_ (414-12 BC)**

**-Chapter Five-**

**-Tragic Tragedies-**

_It's like I'm replaying a movie, _Ryoga thought, as he saw his rival fall to her knees and then, collapse whole to the ground.

Both were fourteen-year-olds again, and the bandana clad boy had found love. He had met her one day after he had gotten lost on the way to school, after accidently bumping into her. She was a pretty girl, with bright red hair tied in a pig-tail, wearing blue and black Chinese clothing. And those brilliant blue eyes…ah, Ryoga had fallen in love at first sight with the girl. The girl, whose name was Ranma, quickly became friends with the lost boy, oblivious to his affections. Every day, the redheaded girl would be around to keep an eye on Ryoga, and get him either to school, or back to his house. And with those simple acts of kindness, Ryoga's love for her grew even more…that is, until that fateful day when he first saw the transformation. At first, Ryoga didn't know what to do…what was he to think about a girl that could turn into a boy!...or rather, a boy that could turn into a girl? It didn't take long, however, for Ryoga's confusion to give in into blind rage when Ranma confessed, and in order to reclaim back a bit of dignity, the bandana boy challenged Ranma to a duel, forgetting his sense of direction, and so, getting lost in the process. For four days, Ryoga had travelled, suffering for four straight days, before he finally arrived…Ranma was gone. Left. To China, leaving the challenge unanswered. After that, Ryoga only knew pain after pain, as he went after the cursed boy…for two years he travelled the globe, before finally, reaching the other.

…_and I got my duel…but…I lost, _Ryoga thought, as he watched his rival lay there, unconscious, blood dancing among her fingers and blue Chinese shirt. Loose pieces of clothing were washed in water and blood, even Ryoga's own clothes had blood in them, as well, but that seemed to not bother him, as he slowly got up, and grabbed his discarded umbrella that lay not too far away. _And I almost killed someone, too…damn…this…this is…_

"All your fucking fault, Ranma," Ryoga growled, but went unheard of by his fallen foe. He debated whether he should attack his fallen rival or not, when suddenly, a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Ranma!" Looking away from the redheaded girl, Ryoga spotted a pair of students heading his way. One of them he quickly recognized as the girl, whose head he had almost sliced off, having managed to only taken her long hair off instead. Behind her, was another girl, this one he remembered seeing making bets about his fight with Ranma. Soon, both girls were upon his rival, while the blue haired girl turned the redhead over gently, and examined his injuries. Ryoga barely saw her flinch at the damage on Ranma's body, but, that passed by soon, as she turned to face the other girl, who had begun to see Ryoga with an icy look on her eyes. The bandana clad boy gulped nervously, as the blue haired girl lifted his rival, and with the help of the other girl, had Ranma secured on her back for a piggyback ride. "Nabiki, I'm taking Ranma to Dr. Tofu…"

"Sure, go ahead…I'll…take care of the trash," Nabiki said, glaring at Ryoga, who was beginning to sweat nervously. The girl only nodded once, before quickly making her getaway with the unconscious redhead. "Now, as for you," the girl began, making Ryoga gulp, as even more sweat fell from his brow. "I don't want you close to my family…or the Saotomes…is that clear? You might find yourself in…trouble, if you dare to hurt my family or anyone else for that matter, again. Get out of here, before someone decides to send the cops after you. This is my last and only warning." As those words left Nabiki's lips, Ryoga turned tail and ran, only glaring back at the girl once, as he disappeared into the unknown.

_Don't think this is the last time, Ranma! I will get you for this! _

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

While Ryoga ran away from her older sister, Akane quickly made her way out of the school, running as fast as her feet could take her towards Tofu's clinic. On her back, Ranma barely manage a few whimpers, as the girl moved quickly.

_This is exactly like last time, _Akane thought, with a bitter smile upon her lips. _This is how we met…me, carrying her battered and bruised…oh, Ranma…_Her eyes lost focus for a moment, but then, Akane shook her head. _No, Akane…no bad thoughts…just take her to Dr. Tofu…_

"Yeah…to Dr. Tofu," Akane whispered, as she slowed her walk. She fingered a long strand of what used to be her long hair, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. _I spent days making sure it was always perfect…and long…just like Kasumi's…and for what? For it to get cut off during a fight…almost getting killed…and I'm crying over hair! _Akane wiped away her tears, and looked back at Ranma, who still knocked out, flinching once in a while as the taller girl moved about. _I can't believe that I worried more about hair in the past…and…and I still do…I only wanted…_

"…the doctor's attention…was it too much to ask?" she whimpered, as more tears fell. "I wanted to be like Kasumi…so…so he…so he could love me...and all I worry about is my damn hair…" _I could have died if it weren't for…_Akane glanced back at the sleeping girl on her back, who flinched unconsciously from the pain. _Ranma…somehow…my hair mattered very little then…but…then, why am I so sad? _

"Ranma saved me….and I get distressed over hair…I really can't believe it…" But, even as Akane said those words, her tears couldn't stop falling. "It's just hair…it's just hair…" she repeated, as she quickly moved throw the streets of Nerima, trying to find the doctor's clinic. "It's just hair…"

…_yes…it is only hair…and besides, he loves someone else…_Akane glanced back at the unconscious redhead, and then, wiped her tears away with her sleeve, and then, looked up at the sky; it was cloudy, but somehow, Akane's mood had brightened.

**

* * *

**

Ranma looked down at her bandage hands, as she and Akane made her way back home. She could feel the bandages on her chest as well, her mind wondering; had the cursed boy lost control? Had she hurt someone…had she…?

The redhead shook her head, putting a bandaged hand on her forehead, as the now, short-haired girl, watched on. "Ranma?" Akane asked, putting a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"I'm fine, now, 'kane…" Ranma told her, turning to face the girl, with a small smile on her face, that turned into a frown when she took notice of the other girl's hair. "…sorry 'bout your hair, Akane...know…ya like ta take care of it much…" she muttered. Akane's eyes widen slightly, before she smiled, and fingered one of the loose strands that remained of her long her.

"Don't worry about it."

"But…"

"I just figured it's just hair, and besides," Akane gave her a smile, with her fingers still over her hair. "I believed I just needed a cut. And, well, it's just a bad reminder…so I'm glad it got cut. " Ranma gave her a confused look, before she shook her head.

"Still…I…I wanna, ya know…repay ya…"

"Repay me? Why for, Ranma? This wasn't your fault…" The redhead just shrugged, despite the blush that was forming on her face.

"Well…I…kinda got Ryoga mad at me…no Ryoga, no challenge…and I guess, no bad cut for ya…so, its kinda my fault." Akane frowned at the redhead's logic, but before she could decline, Ranma said, "I coulda…well…don't know…I could teach ya my school's martial arts if ya want…not that I'm saying you're bad or-" Before the redhead girl could finish, she felt two arms around her neck.

"Really, Ranma! You mean it? You're going to teach me your school's martial arts?" Akane asked ecstatically, hugging the smaller girl tighter, but not too tight in order to not upset her injuries.

"Umm…umm..."

"That means so much for me! Thank you!"

"Umm…umm…"

"Thank you so much, Ranma!" Akane repeated, oblivious the redhead with a large blush on her face, her body unmoving.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

When the two girls arrived at the Tendo Dojo, they were immediately hounded by their parents; Soun, in tears after hearing about the fight, swarm over his little girl to see if she was alright. Genma, on the other hand, turned a questioning glance at his son-turned-daughter, who returned the look by bowing her head in shame and shaking it from left to right.

"Daddy, I'm fine, already!" Akane cried, as Soun circled around her, for what appeared to be the fourth time after both she and Ranma had arrived at the dojo.

"But…but! That blood! Your hair! WAAH!"

"I told you, it's not my blood! And it's just hair, daddy!" Akane cried, before blinking a bit at the last part, only for it to be interrupted by her father who cried again.

Genma and Ranma had managed to disappear during this whole ordeal, while her other two sisters watched the confrontation between father and daughter take place before them, with Nabiki shaking her head when Akane shot her a pleading look.

"But! Your hair! You could have gotten killed! WAAHH!" Before Akane could respond to her father, Genma's hand fell upon her shoulder, catching the attention of both of all the Tendos, as he and Ranma, now a boy, appeared once more.

"Now, now, Tendo, there's no need to cry, now." Genma scolded. "Akane-kun is fine. She just lost some hair, there's no need to make a big deal out of it. And besides, my boy made sure that lout didn't hurt his fiancée." At that, everyone in the room, except the two older men, blinked.

"Fiancé!" Both Ranma and Akane repeated at the same time. Nabiki and Kasumi looked back at their little sister, and then, at the two fathers, the same expression on their faces. What had just happened?

"Indeed!" Soun cried, drying away his tears. "It has been decided by both of us," he pointed at himself, and at Genma, who nodded. "that you two must marry to join the schools. It was an unanimous decision."

"But, you didn't even ask us!" Akane cried, her face red with anger. "How could you have come with a decision like that!" She glanced back at Ranma, who could only stare blankly at the two parents, an unreadable expression on his face.

"It is a matter of family honor!" Genma cried, nodding towards his old friend. "You two must marry to join the schools!"

"But…without even asking!" the blue-haired girl growled, glancing at Ranma, who had yet to speak up. "How could you!"

"…I didn't mean it…" Everyone was still when Ranma's voice called out, head bowed low. Akane could only stare in surprise, as the boy made his leave from the room. The Saotome patriarch, for his part, watched with sadden eyes as his son left, a thoughtful expression decorating his face.

"…what happened?" the blue-haired girl asked, only to be answered by silence.

**

* * *

**

Rain hit hard on the ground, as Ryoga Hibiki stared face to face with the Tendo Dojo, his eyes cold and unreadable. _This is it…no one to get in the way of my revenge…prepare yourself, Ranma! _

And with those simple thoughts in his head, Ryoga jumped up to the wall, and inside the compound, his umbrella held high, and hiding him from the rain.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Genma glanced back at the sleeping form of his son, and wondered what he had done wrong now.

Sure, he and Soun needed to get the fiancé problem out of the way, but still, Genma had not expected Ranma's reaction. He had expected the boy to fight and complain about the sudden decision, like he did many times before, especially that day when he told him of the engagement. Sure, the Ranma from that day had argued, and if it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to lose his temper, would have attacked and left to get out of the engagement. The Ranma from this afternoon, however, had done nothing like that. He had felt bad, and meant it, and if Genma didn't know any better, he would dare say that the young man had fallen in love with Akane during their short stay, and when that girl had reacted when she had, well, Ranma assumed he was just being a burden and left to hide in the guestroom.

Akane, for her part, had been very upset about her part in the engagement, but after seeing Ranma's reaction and assumption that this was somehow his fault, she had visibly calmed down…but had yet to forgive the fathers, her primary worry being the boy and how to get him out of the misery she accidently put him in. So far, all the attempts had carried some sort of success, but still, Ranma felt like a burden. Akane, at least, was able to convince the boy that she was actually mad at her parents and not at him, as he wasn't at fault….that did made him feel a little better after, but still, the boy was feeling bad, yet for Akane's sake, he was going to try to forget about it.

_Maybe the boy does really care for that girl, _Genma mused, as he got up from his futon. He opened the sliding door of the guestroom and slipped out. _There's hope for this union, after all! _Genma tried not to dance, as he headed for the bathroom, unaware of a shadow creeping back towards the guestroom, where his son slept.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Akane tossed and turned on her bed, unable to sleep as she thought back on the day's events. First that fight of Ranma's with the Hibiki boy, her sudden realization of her small crush on the doctor, and finally, the engagement. It was just too much to take in all at once, but apparently, the one that had been most affected had been Ranma…after all, he had the bruises to prove it. But still, Akane wondered if that boy really want this engagement to take place, or was it merely because of honor? Or…Akane shook her head, her cheeks reddening as she lost her train of thought. Sure, Ranma was nice, and he was willing to train her! But, for him to have feelings for her…

"No…I'm sure he's doing that because he's just nice…" she murmured to herself, as she turned to face the wall. _He's just bein—_

"RANMA!"

**CRASH! TWAK!**

"Ryoga! What the hell?"

"Fight me, Ranma!"

**CRASH! TWAK! CRASH!**

Wasting no time, Akane quickly got out of bed, and ran out of her room. She met up with Genma and Kasumi on the hallway, as the crashes and cries of two martial artist rang inside the silent house. "Is it a burglar?" Kasumi asked, looking worried as the cries increased in volume.

"No, it's that Hibiki boy!" Akane cried out, as she and Genma quickly moved towards the guestroom. They barely managed to make it on time, when sounds of glass breaking caught their ears. Genma almost took the door down, as he and Akane got in, the destruction in the room evident, but no men inside.

"Ryoga, leave me 'lone!" cried a feminine voice from outside against the raging rain. Everything was silent for a couple of moments before a loud scream shook the silence. "C-C-CAT!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Genma's face turned pale when his cursed son's shout rang in the air, surprising the young girl that was with him. "Was that Ranma, Mr. Saotome?" she asked, worriedly. Genma didn't answer, however, as he quickly made his way through the broken window, and outside.

Now a panda, he spotted his cowering daughter near the koi pond. Her face was hidden by her two hands, as she lay on the ground, shaking all over. The panda quickly scanned the area, and spotted the perpetrator not too far away, looking back at the redhead in confusion. Genma's eyes narrowed as he spotted the clothes and the backpack nearby, and quickly snatched the black cat from the ground, before getting both himself and the cat out of his daughter's sight.

Both Akane and Kasumi met him on the living room, only for the giant panda to shake his head, and leave, watching from the corner of his eye as both girls went to aid the still cowering girl outside.

"Meow?"

"Grrf…" Genma growled warningly at his baggage, as he made his way towards the furo. Once both he and the cat were inside, the panda quickly turned on the hot water, and rapidly threw the cat inside the bathtub that was now, filled with hot water. The result was immediate, because as soon as the cat hit the hot water, a young man, naked and wearing a bandana on his head, appeared.

"Gah!" Ryoga cried, as he and the panda stood face to face. Before he could complain to the giant panda about this treatment, the large animal pulled out a sign out of nowhere which read,

#Do you want to die, boy?#

"Wh-what are you talking about!" Ryoga asked, panicked. Genma appeared to not hear him, as he took out another sign from out of nowhere.

#If you value your life, you, under no circumstances, are to transform in the,# _Flip. _#boy's presence. Is that clear?#

"…what…what?"

#Ranma will kill you if he sees you as a cat…and he won't need threats to warn you.#

"…what are you…?" Ryoga began, shocked by the strange revelation. The panda only shook his head and with pleading eyes, took out another sign.

#Just don't…avoid cold water in Ranma's presence…it's for your own good…and his.#

Both Ryoga and Genma stared at each other, each thinking a different thought. In one hand, Genma gave a sigh of relief at stopping a tragedy, meanwhile Ryoga wondered just what had happened to the redheaded girl he used to know…his rival from two years ago? What exactly happened to Ranma Saotome that would force him to kill?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kasumi watched uneasily, as the shaking redhead took the hot cup of tea in her hands, and drank it. Her younger sister was nearby, watching Ranma worriedly, and patting the smaller girl's back, trying to soothe the shaking, to no avail. The shaking just wouldn't stop, and that concerned the oldest Tendo daughter even more.

"Are you alright, dear?" she asked the redhead, who smiled, but the effect failed due to her trembling form.

"I'm…okay," was the response, before she took another sip from her hot tea.

"Are you really sure, Ranma?" Akane asked, worry evident on her voice. Ranma looked at her once, and then, frowned at the table.

"So long I don't see that c-c-c…feline, I'll be okay…"

"You mean that black kitty that Mr. Saotome took away?" Kasumi asked, to which the redhead nodded, with a shudder. It took a moment for many things to click on the two Tendos' minds, before Akane asked,

"Ranma…umm…are…are you afraid of…cats?" The response was almost immediate.

"…y-yeah…"

"Oh, you poor dear," Kasumi whispered, looking sadly at the young girl sitting before her, who had yet to stop shaking.

"…it's the old man's fault…I'm…I'm afraid of c-c-c-felines…" Ranma began, shuddering. When Akane sent her a confused look, the redhead elaborated, "My stupid pop…read this…this book 'bout ultimate techniques and stuff…though I woulda become all mighty and he…he decided to teach my something called the Neko-ken," Ranma trembled for a bit, before continuing. "…supposedly it was some ultimate technique that made the user invincible..but, well, pop being…pop, didn't read the whole fuckin' book...it said that this technique was some sort of berserker shit…and because of that…that stupid training I have…a morbid fear of c-c-c-felines…and well, I…if don't get away from…from the…the…ya know…well, I turn into one of them…get on all fours…and stuff…"

"You're not serious…are you?" Akane asked her, looking uneasy.

"…pretty damn serious…"

"Oh dear…that would explain why Mr. Saotome left with the little kitty before we went to get you," Kasumi reasoned, looking worried. "And…what happen to that other boy that was making all that noise?" Ranma shrugged.

"I didn't see him…I just saw…saw that c-c-c-feline in the yard…couldn't think anymore…" _Although I wonder…_Ranma added mentally, glancing back at the bundle of clothes and the backpack that Akane had collected from outside. _..if Ryoga is really cursed…what did he turn into? _

**

* * *

**

Pantyhose Taro watched from the corner of his eye as the redhead woman talked to a nearby old lady; her face hidden from view.

For the last three days, Taro, as a human, had shadowed the mysterious redhead seeking for information about her. As of yet, he had only heard the name, 'Nodoka', and a few mentions of a son and a husband, but even though Taro had heard no names, he couldn't deny that the resemblance between this woman and femboy's was anything but coincidence. Despite appearances, however, Taro wanted to make absolutely sure that he had the right person this time, as last time had resulted in a good beating from a group of women after he mistook one of them for femboy. But, if she was the real deal, then Taro would put femboy in a position where he wouldn't be able to get away so easily.

_The bastard would never see this coming, _Taro thought, as a malicious smirk decorated his handsome face, turning it sour, as he turned his attention back to the talking ladies.

"…and, what about that husband of yours, Nodoka-chan?" the old lady asked, suddenly, making the redheaded woman blink, before looking down sadly. "…I thought their training trip was coming to an end soon…isn't he going to let his wife see her son?"

…_Humph…more talk about that father…doesn't take a genius to figure that its Genma she's talking about…but still…I want to make absolutely sure…_

"…I…I do not know, Marisa-chan…the last letter I received from my husband is almost a year old…and well, it was from China…said that they were doing alright, but," from out of nowhere, Nodoka took out a small handkerchief and wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes away. "I can't still help but worry…how is my son? Has he grown to become a man? Has he eaten? Will both of them ever come back?" More tears were wiped away by the small cloth, as the older woman patted her shoulder.

"Now, now, dear, you know that Genma, no matter how good of a martial artist he is, cannot keep you away from your child forever…perhaps he just hasn't had the time to write a letter, is all." Despite her words, the old woman's words carried a certain uncertainness that even Taro could hear from his hiding place. "He can't keep Ranma away from you." Taro suddenly turned away, his smirk growing even larger than before, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He stood in his hiding place for a while, and watched, from the corner of his eye, as the two women waved goodbye at each other, and disappeared into their homes. Once they were gone, Taro laughed louder, muttering to himself,

"Now I got you, femboy…like I said before, you're going to regret ever meeting me." He let a couple of minutes pass, before walking towards the redhead woman's house, and knocking. He waited.

Seconds later, Nodoka Saotome made her presence known, a small smile in her lips, as she asked, "May I help you, young man?"

* * *

...sigh...next chapter, things get worse...again, but at least, we know Ranma's in the job...I think.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review!

Edit(12/16/10): Fixed a few things!


	7. Revenge of the Pantyhose

Fyras14: Yo folks! It has really been a month since i las updated this...and well, sorry about that. Exams a week ago, plus last minute work on May really didnt make my day, and these chapter was in the making since last month too...sigh...I just didnt know what to write, and when i got the words going, they decided to take a vacation and chat some other time...and also...working on redoing another of my long chapter stories is gonna take a while...probably months before I can update my longest story yet...but, anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, probably next time it wont take all month to put a chapter up...

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

_

* * *

_

_An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.  
_

**-Mahatma Gandhi**

**-Chapter Six-**

**-Revenge of the Pantyhose-**

Taro gave the older woman a small, yet shy smile, as she let him inside her home, her face beaming, as she frantically asked, "So, is Ranma alright? Has he grown?...And you said he is here! Back in Japan?" The young man gave a nod for each other these questions, before he sat on the small mat that lay on the floor, putting a hand on top of the low table before him.

"Yeah, lady…it was by mere luck that I heard you talking to an old lady about your son…but, I couldn't be so sure," he gave her a small smirk. "You can bet that Ranma has grown…bet you wouldn't even recognize him," Taro added while thinking inwardly, _Or her._ Nodoka hardly noticed the malevolent look on her guest's eyes, before she clasped her hands together, her eyes facing the heavens.

"Oh! My manly son! So…so..." she turned frantically to face Taro, blue eyes almost blazing with concern. "Where is he! Where is my son? Do you know!" Taro merely nodded.

"Yeah, lady…he's in…Nerima right now, in fact, I was heading to that ward before I heard you talking about your son…if you wish, I could take you there."

"Truly! Oh, that would be wonderful, young man!" Nodoka cried, tears spilling out of her eyes. Taro mentally cringed at seeing her like that, but then, shook his head. No need to start hearing the little cricket in his head, he had gone too far as it was, and he was going to see it through.

"But…ah, lady, you think I could have a glass of cold water? With all this talking, I think my tongue has gone dry…"

"Why, certainly!" Nodoka cried, quickly dashing towards the kitchen in search of for cold water. Seconds later, she reappeared, a cup of water in hand. Before she was able to give Taro the cup of water, she tripped, letting the water fall straight towards the young man, who only smirked.

"Too bad, lady," he told her, as the cold water touched him. Nodoka could barely contain her shock, as the boy before her changed shaped and size. Pale skin turned dark, large horns tangled with his black mane of hair, and giant white wings sprouted from his back. Soon, a man no longer stood before the redheaded woman, but a giant beast, an ox with wings and an eel for a tail. It grinned at the woman at its feet, before said woman let out a strangled shriek.

Taro cared barely little as he grabbed Nodoka with one of his large arms, and carried her away, making a giant hole on the once, peaceful, Saotome home.

**

* * *

**

Kuno walked down the halls of Furinkan High with a new set of footprints upon his face, growling at any student that dared to make a comment as he made his way towards his homeroom, barely catching the light whispers of his loss against the vile one.

He spotted Nabiki Tendo at her desk, smirking at him. "Another day, another boot in the head, eh, Kuno-baby?" Kuno growled.

"Quiet, woman! It is obvious that Saotome is using some evil magic when he confronts me!" Nabiki shook her head, still smirking.

"Whatever you say, Kuno-baby," she told him, as the young man took his seat next to her.

_I do not know what I have done wrong! That fiend's magic is getting stronger and stronger by the minute! _Kuno thought, eyes planted firmly on the blackboard before him. _I must find out more about this vile one…who he is…what he is…_He glanced at Nabiki, who was busy reading a magazine and taking a few bites out of the bento that lay on top of her desk. _Perhaps…_

"Tell me, Nabiki Tendo…just who is this vile Saotome!" he cried, glaring daggers at the girl next to him, who politely ignored him for favor of eating her lunch. Kuno growled, before taking out a pair of bills and slamming them down right in front of Nabiki, who looked up from her magazine.

"Gee, Kuno-baby…what's with all this violence?" she asked him, pocketing the pair of bills that had been, so brutally offered. "I believe I already told you, Kuno. Ranma Saotome, son of a friend of dad's….staying at our house, etcetera."

"TRUE! But, surely, there must be more to that fiend!"

"Well, nothing new," she said, then added, "at least not until this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yep. Saotome's being a little jumpy," Nabiki shrugged. "But, then again, he must be losing his patience with you, Kuno-baby…I mean, who wouldn't be?"

"Woman," the kendoist warned. "what are you implying?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Kuno…but if you really must know…" She looked around the classroom, as if expecting someone to show up. "…Ranma's been a little tense about animals…or something…I didn't get many details this morning." At that, Kuno's curiosity rose.

_..could that be fiend be afraid of some animal? Ah! But it is true! Most demons fear flesh and bones of the four legged ones! If I were to find this creature…_A wicked grin appeared on Kuno's face. _…I would put an end to this sorcerer's hold on the fierce Akane Tendo! _He quickly got up, and was about to leave the room, when suddenly, Nabiki called,

"Ah, before you leave, Kuno-baby…there's something you would absolutely want to know…"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Akane Tendo sat with her two friends, Yuka and Sayuri, ignoring most of their conversation as they ate lunch. It took only two minutes later, and much convincing from the two girls, to get Akane to join in on the conversation.

"I really can't believe that guy, though!" Yuka cried out, shaking her head. "Coming out of the blue like that and starting a fight with Ranma…almost getting people killed!"

"You're telling me," Sayuri said, glancing at Akane's new hairdo. A minute too late, and both girls would have lost their best friend.

"What I still don't get is where Ranma went off to!" Yuka went on, causing Sayuri and Akane to blink.

"Umm…what are you talking about, Yuka? Ranma was there…I'm pretty sure that was Ranma that was fighting that crazy boy…" The blue-haired girl suddenly looked uncertain for some reason.

"No, it was a girl. I'm sure of it!" Both girls were silent for a while, before a meek voice caught their attention.

"...that was Ranma…" Yuka and Sayuri blinked at Akane's response. "That was Ranma…he…he hadn't gone anywhere."

"WHAT?"

"That girl! That was Ranma?"

"Well…it is a pretty lon-" Before Akane could offer some sort of explanation, a loud scream shook the air, attracting the attention of every student on campus.

"NOOOOOOOO! NEVER! I SHALL NOT ALLOW IT!" Every student, as one, spotted the source of the scream, running at great speeds towards one Ranma Saotome, who only cocked an eyebrow at the coming kendoist. "VILE ONE! I SHALL NEVER ACCEPT YOUR ENGAGEMENT WITH AKANE TENDO!" Before Kuno could even make an attack, all hell broke loose.

Students darted towards the two unsuspecting victims of that declaration, firing questions here and there. Boys went straight to Ranma, while the girls headed towards Akane, asking questions.

"You're engaged?"

"But Akane, I thought you didn't like boys!"

"You aren't pregnant, are you?"

"Congratulations…I think…"

"I don't believe it! Akane, you minx!"

"But, Tendo-san, we all thought you hated boys!"

"No! Wait! It wasn't our idea!" Akane cried out, desperate to stop the rumor mill from growing. "Our parents arranged it…" Despite those simple declarations, it did no good, and Ranma wasn't having much luck on his side, either.

"You lucky bastard, you!"

"You already did the deed, eh?"

"Man! When's the wedding, anyway?"

"We are going to get invitations, right, buddy?"

"So! Just how 'bad' is she, eh?"

"No…no…" Ranma stammered, his face like a tomato. "We hav-haven't done anything…honest…"

"KNAVE!"

No one knew exactly when Tatewaki Kuno appeared in the middle of the crowd, but when he did, they decided that fleeing was a better part of valor and did just that. Soon, Akane's crowd diminished too, deciding on watching the fight between the delusional wannabe samurai, and Akane's fiancé.

"I SHALL NEVER ACCEPT THIS! AKANE TENDO'S ENGAGEMENT TO YOU IS NOTHING TO ME! I FORBID IT! I SHALL SEE TO IT THAT YOU DO NOT CAUSE ANY MORE HARM ON THE FIERCE AKANE TENDO! I STRIKE!" Before anyone knew what was going on, Kuno charged towards Ranma, who had little sense to jump away, but unfortunately that didn't stop the bokken from meeting its mark on his left arm.

"Ouch! Shit! What the hell's wrong with ya!"

"Silence, cur!" Kuno cried again, sending a series of strikes towards his foe, who still had skill enough to evade them. "I shall never accept that engagement! Have at yo—uff!" The kendoist didn't get to finish as he met Ranma's foot with his face, sending him to the ground. "Argh!"

"Ya crazy freak! What the hell's that for?" the pig-tailed boy asked, glaring at the fallen upperclassman. "Whadaya think you're attackin' me for!" Kuno quickly got up from the g round and turned to face him.

"Is it not so obvious, evil one! You, who have charmed Akane Tendo's heart with lies and deceit, dares question my fair actions?" Ranma, and most of the student body nearby gave Kuno a look. "Have at thee, fiend! I shall free my love from your evil grasp!" Before he could even think of attacking Ranma again, Akane came from behind him, and gave the kendoist a hard punch right in the face, sending him crashing towards a nearby wall.

"KUNO, CUT IT OUT!" Akane cried out, an aurora of red fire around her body. Ranma gave her a nervous look, that was reflected upon a few of the male students as well. The girls, on the other hand, had other ideas, whispering on how Akane had come to the defense of her fiancé on time.

"Ya okay, 'kane?" said fiancé asked after a while of seeing the red tint around his reluctant fiancée. Akane's red aurora seemed to settle after a while, as Sayuri and Yuka made their way towards their friend, with the former whistling slightly.

"Whoa, Akane…maybe words didn't get to Kuno-sempai, but I'm pretty sure that punch did…"

"Not to mention the wall…" Yuka added.

"I just don't believe that jerk! Can't he get a clue!" Akane raged on, her red aurora growing a little, causing the three teens to look at each other nervously. A series of claps caught their attention, even the mad girl's, as they all turned their attention to a smirking Nabiki.

"My, oh my, never thought I would see the day that Kuno-baby would really bite the dust," she shot a meaningful glance at the kendoist, who had yet to fall from the hole he made within the wall itself. "or in this case, concrete."

"Nabiki! You told Kuno about the engagement, didn't you?" her younger sister cried, outraged. The middle Tendo daughter let out a shrug and put on the innocent face of a shark.

"Can't blame a girl for making a little money…" At that, the red tint that covered Akane disappeared, as the girl groaned.

"I can't believe this…my own sister…"

Ranma gave Nabiki a disbelieving look on his part, before turning to face the younger sister. "She always like this?" He was rather surprised by the three girls who nodded with their heads.

"Nabiki would do just about everything to get profit out of it…" Akane explained, still shooting a desperate look at her sister, who appeared to be collecting money from another betting pool. The pig-tailed boy also glanced at the middle Tendo daughter, and was about to say something when someone cried out. Despite the cry sounding distant, it was enough to attract the attention of not only Ranma, but half of the school's as well.

"Hey, what was that?" one boy asked, looking concerned as the screams increased in volume. Everyone in the schoolyard was too stunned to answer, and much less move as the screams got closer and closer…until…

"Moooraaa!" From out of the trees, the monstrous form of Pantyhose Taro made itself known, holding tightly to a struggling woman in a kimono, who was kicking and screaming for the beast to let her go. It didn't take long for pandemonium to break in the school grounds, as students ran for a safe spot, or at least a spot that would keep them safe to watch a fight or two. They all watch with nervous eyes as the creature's eyes darted back and forth, looking for a target, before one made himself known.

"Pantyhose!"

Taro turned his attention away from the students, towards Ranma, whose face was a mask of rage. The creature seemed to grin in satisfaction, as he noticed the pig-tailed boy eye the woman in his grasp worriedly. _Come and get her, femboy! _

"MOORAA!" Taro cried out, as he dashed towards Ranma, who was ready for him. The pig-tailed boy dodged the punch that was sent his way, and was about to kick the creature back, when he found himself face to face with the woman on Taro's hold. Ranma managed to hold his punch on time, and changed glances with the blue-eyed woman, before getting a kick straight into the chest, which sent him crashing towards a nearby tree.

"RANMA!" Akane cried, as she saw the kick being delivered. She flinched when her fiancé hit the bark of the tree, but was relieve to note that the pig-tailed boy got up quickly.

"Ya jerk, using a hostage like that!" he cried out, spitting a little blood out of his mouth, as Taro answered him with the most demonic grin Akane had ever seen. "Ya leave the lady 'lone, now, Pantyhose, or I-" Ranma never managed to finish his sentence, as Taro went after him again, and punched the boy in the jaw, sending him up in the air, before grabbing his leg and spinning him in circles, ramming him on the ground after every few spins.

"No! Stop, please!" the woman in his hold cried out in desperation. "Leave him alone! Please! Stop hurting him!" Her cries went on answered as Taro continued with his merciless assault on Ranma, that was before he felt a strange sensation nearby…

…and promptly, failed to detect the hot water that hit him straight on the face, as he let go of Ranma, who headed straight for the nearby pool.

* * *

Ouch, cliffhanger. But, I had to stop the violence somehow...anyway, next chapter, a fight, a revelation, and a bit of insight into the Nekoken training.

Do leave a review!

Edit(12/16/10): Fixed a few things.


	8. Into Mom's Hands I

Fyras14: It really has been a while, huh? Sorry for not updating like I was supposed to...too much on my mind, work from school, life being busier than usual, or me just being lazy. Anyway, this chapter is considerably shorter than all the other chapters though for certain reasons...I will most likely run into...writer's block you could say...I do have the idea but its rather hard to just put in on the page...so, in order to not keep you waiting for what would happen, I decided to add parts of the chapter...I will probably be doing this for a few chapters only, but after certain time, I will combine all parts to make the chapter complete...for now, however, just enjoy this small chapter and very sorry about the delay.

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

_

* * *

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all._

**-Washington Irving**

**-Chapter Seven-**

**-PART I-**

**-Into Mom's Hands-**

Ranma could hardly feel the water as he crashed against it, only hearing the collective gasp of his classmates nearby. _Damn that Pantyhose! Using a hostage like that! _he—or rather—she thought, as she emerged from the pool, only to stop, as she noticed the naked form of Pantyhose Taro barely holding unto the woman he had used as a shield earlier. Said woman was trying to free herself from Taro's grasp, but the latter was just too strong for her, unfortunately, his focus was not on the woman nor on Ranma, but at a blue-haired girl that was holding an empty bucket. Akane.

"You bitch!" Taro growled, grabbing unto Akane's hand, while he held the older woman with the other. "You'll pay for—OUCH!" The young man didn't get to finish as Akane hit him straight in the head with the bucket, causing him to flinch. The hit was enough for him to let go of both Akane and the woman. Before he could retaliate against either of them, a loud feminine yell cried out,

"HEY! PANTYHOSE!" And before anyone knew it, Taro was bashed in the head by a redhead's foot. He was sent flying a bit, crashing against the floor with a cry of pain. Ranma promptly landed between the two women, getting on a defensive position in front of them in case Taro decided to attack again.

"Argh…you'll pay for that…FEMBOY!" Getting up as quickly as he got down, Taro spied a nearby student holding a water bottle, before grinning menacingly at the women in front of him. He ran towards the student before Ranma or Akane knew what was happening, and promptly stole the water bottle from the student, before dousing himself with it.

"Oh! NO! He's going to turn into that creature, again!" the woman cried, putting a hand over her mouth, as she glanced at the young girl and Akane next to her.

"MOOORRRRAAAAA!" **(1) **

"Water has to conveniently appear out of nowhere, huh, Ranma?" Akane asked her now, female fiancée dryly, causing the woman's eyes to widen considerably. No one noticed.

"Not funny, Akane…" Ranma murmured, before running towards the beast.

"WAIT!" the woman cried, but her cry went unanswered as the redhead tackled the giant creature with surprising power. Akane quickly grabbed the woman's hand.

"Come on, miss! We have to get out of here!" The younger woman didn't wait for the stranger to respond, as she was dragged away towards where Nabiki, Yuka, and Sayuri were keeping away from the fight. As soon as Akane reached them, she could hear them whispering amongst each other, well, only Yuka and Sayuri, anyway.

"Ranma turned into a girl?"

"That…that can't be right! Can it?"

"But…but we both saw it…that couldn't be a trick!"

Nabiki only gave her sister a look, and then, looked as both Ranma and Pantyhose Taro tried to hit each other, with the redhead trying in vain to keep Taro out of the school grounds; nothing worked. The woman, for her part, was still anxious, and her eyes widen even more after hearing the other girls' whispering.

"Is…is that girl…really a boy?" she asked, her voice close to a whisper, that even Nabiki had to strain her ears to hear her. Both Tendos nodded.

"Yep. Long story short, both have a Chinese curse," the middle Tendo daughter said, pointing a finger at the two of them. "Ranma's curse is to turn into a girl, while that other guy's curse could be turning into a giant cow with wings," Nabiki went on, not noticing how pale the woman had become for some reason.

It didn't take a while for the woman to finally lose focus of the world and fainted, narrowly being caught by Akane and her friends.

* * *

**Somethings to point out!**

**1-There are times during that manga that this kind of things do happen!**

And doesnt it ever? I remember a chapter were Taro tried to curse Happosai into becoming a nicer person with water from the pool of the drowned monk or something of that sort; turns out the water was from the spring of drowned twins and Ranma and the fathers were on a rampage to stop him in the hot springs. Well, to make things short, Taro would continously transform into his curse form throughout this small arc...but, it was enjoyable. I tried to incorporate some elements about the manga, on how water just seems to appear out of nowhere...although, as you might have noticed on previous chapters, water is a common gag as well...not as recurring, but still, just as much.

And for those of you wondering about Kuno, well, he might wake up...eventually.

Hope you review!


	9. Into Mom's Hands Part II

Fyras14: Phew! Chapter 7 part II is here! This one continues where the last one left off...i would probably finish this chapter by part II, but for now, it will be a while until I do...with Christmas coming and with a little free time on my hands to get a few presents(If i can manage) a few computer-made Christmas cards I have to print out...and well, whatever! The thing is, I will be a little busy this coming week...and also because I'm working on a new story...but, dont worry, I will probably update a few stories during the 24th...as a small, Christmas present for all of you...or if I can't manage that, a New Year's Eve present.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

gsteemso: I do understand what you are saying...I tried to make his talk...how do you say it? Less polite, I suppose...as he talks in some fics...but, well, some parts of it might be a little put off...but, after you read this the error shall be amended.

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

_

* * *

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all._

**-Washington Irving**

**-Chapter Seven-**

**-PART II-**

**-Into Mom's Hands-**

It was a bad omen, Genma knew it well; his chopsticks couldn't have possibly broke in two while eating rice. No…maybe he grabbed them too firmly, yes, that was it! He, in his haste to try out Kasumi's dish, had grabbed the chopsticks a little too tight and therefore, they snapped in two. Yes, no omen at all…none at all!

No Kuonji brat chasing after his life! No Happ-no, wait, not even in his thoughts! …And…and possibly not anything he would be paying for later…At that simple thought, Genma's face turned pale, with both Soun and Kasumi giving him odd looks.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Saotome? Would you like a new pair of chopsticks?" the ever, gentle Kasumi asked, already getting up and moving towards the kitchen to get a new pair of chopsticks from the counter.

"Ah…yes…Kasumi, dear…that would be…appreciated," he commented, as he placed the broken chopsticks to the side, and watched as Kasumi went to fetch their replacements. Soun, on the other hand, stared at him.

"Saotome, what's wrong? I know that face, old friend…it usually means there's trouble afoot," the Tendo patriarch pointed out. Genma only gave his friend a nervous smile, as the oldest Tendo daughter gave him a new pair of chopsticks.

"…I have no idea…and I don't like it…"

* * *

_I really don't see how things could get any wo—_Ranma dodged a punched directed straight at her, that in turn shattered the tree that had been behind her. _Never mind, _she thought, as she glanced back at the tree that had been reduced to nothing but pieces of wood, and then, back at Taro, who in an effort to catch his hated foe, was punching at every opportunity. He didn't care if his target moved, though, and in turn, he was destroying the schoolyard with all his might.

"MOOOOOOORRRRRRAAAA!" Taro cried, as he tried to slam the boy-turned-girl with his eel-like tail, but missed when the latter jumped out of its way. For his trouble, Ranma hit him straight in the face with a well-placed kick, sending the creature down and get a few cheers from the nervous crowd behind them. Unfortunately, Ranma knew it wasn't over. Her fears were confirmed when Taro raised up again, and caught the redhead by surprise, sending a punch to her stomach. The force of the punch was strong enough for Ranma to crash against a nearby tree and break it in two with her bare back.

"Ow..." the girl groaned, before getting up, just in time to jump over Taro's punch, only for the creature to catch her with his other free arm. He, in turn, slammed the redhead to the ground, causing the girl to cough up a bit of blood; the force of the hit being a little too much. "…damn you…creep," Ranma muttered, before, kicking the grinning Pantyhose Taro in the face with her two feet. The creature howled in pain, as he grabbed his face in pain, and so, he failed to notice how Ranma's arms glowed in a red aura, and even failed to register the intensity of the power the redhead was showing. "Hi ni…" she began, raising both hands up to her stand just before her face, just as Taro took his hands out of his own ox face. He registered the attack too late. "YAKAREMASU!" Fire soon decorated her hands, and Ranma sent punches towards Pantyhose Taro, who, was unable to dodge any of them.

Students nearby watched in awe as Ranma went on with her attack, the punches coming faster and faster, until, the flames in her hands slowly diminished, but the damage had been done. Taro was not only burnt, but dazed, which was enough for Ranma to deli—

"UNHAND HER, YOU FIEND!" Before anyone could say or do anything, the bruised figure of Tatewaki Kuno, to appear in front of the redhead, 'protecting her' from the accursed beast, bokken held high. "RETURN FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL FROM WHERE YOU CAME FROM, DEMON!" Kuno slammed the bokken into Taro, who took it with full force, falling to the floor from the force of the impact. At seeing the demon crumbling on the floor, Kuno snickered, and turned his eyes on the redhead, who was eyeing him with cautious eyes. "There is no need to fear, brave maiden, the beast has been slai—" Soon, a shadow covered Kuno, while Ranma glared at both him and Pantyhose Taro.

"…moron," she told him, before grabbing Kuno by the collar and throwing him out of harm's way, as Taro tackled her. As he did so, Ranma managed to grab him by the horns, and jumped behind him, after the tackle had ended.

"OOOORRR!" Taro cried, as he tried to shake the girl off, who was pulling his horns down in an effort to control him.

While these two fought on, Kuno got up from the ground, from where the brave girl had threw him to. His bokken raised above his head, he ran to aid the fearless maiden, "Do not fear, damsel! For I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furi—OFF!" Before he had any chance to reach either of them, Pantyhose Taro's eel tail hit him straight in the chest, sending him a few inches away from where he had previously landed. The hit was an instantaneous knockout, but if anyone cared, they had a hard time showing it; their attention all over Ranma and the raging beast before them.

"KNOCK IT OFF, PANTYHOSE!" the redhead growled, as she tried to control Taro, to no avail, but then again, she should have known better…even as Taro had decided to back slam her! "SHIT!" Using reflexes born out of adrenaline, Ranma jumped off the large ox, who slammed on his back, causing a few cracks on the concrete. Despite the pain visible in his face, Taro took Ranma's moment of safety as a distraction, and grabbed Ranma by her left leg, then, with all the strength he possessed, lifted the girl off a few inches, before throwing her hard into the ground before them.

A sound of something snapping filled Ranma's ears, as she fell down. Something snapping…argh! And that pain! It was unbearable! By then, she was already grabbing her left arm, knowing that it was visibly broken and worthless in this fight.

And seeing this made Pantyhose Taro smile.

* * *

Cliffhanger...yikes!

Don't worry, though! Tro-I mean, help is on the way!

Please leave a review! :)


	10. Into Mom's Hands Part III

**Cursed forms shall not be given new names, like Ranma-chan, P-chan(this one, however, comes as an exception depending on the point of view), Shampoo-neko, etc. If they change gender, they shall be referred as their current gender at the moment.**

**I'm not really familiar with the attacks that are present in Ranma 1/2, so please forgive me if I have them down wrong...**

**Ranma 1/2 and its characters dont belong to me, so please, no suing!**

**Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.**

_

* * *

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all._

**-Washington Irving**

**-Chapter Seven-**

**-PART III-**

**-Into Mom's Hands-**

Akane and her friends almost didn't catch the woman as she fell down, the surprise visible on their faces as they did so.

"What happened to her?" Yuka cried, as she and Sayuri both helped Akane settle the woman on the grass, while Nabiki walked over towards them.

"Must have been all of the excitement," she commented, glancing at the fight between both Ranma and the flying ox that was Pantyhose Taro. "But…why of all the people in the world, did he kidnap her?"

"I don't know…maybe he was just being an ass," Akane commented, as she looked at the woman, whose breathing was slow and calm, as if nothing had happened.

"An ass that grabbed some unknown woman just to give Ranma a crash course in pain." Nabiki said, already thinking about the situation, as she watched Ranma and the ox fight. The fight itself was still very even, but from the looks of things the petite redhead would be getting more damage than she could take at the end. "Ah, Kuno-baby is at it again," the older Tendo said, pointing a finger as the kendoist was getting up.

"Oh no! That idiot!" Akane cried, as she stood up; Kuno was already rushing towards Ranma, who had managed to stun the ox with that technique of hers. The young woman remembered the first time she had seen the redhead and Taro and how she had left the ox stunned before kicking him into the sky. Now, Kuno was going to mess things up. There was a collective groan from the students standing nearby, when Kuno hit the creature in the head and started flirting with Ranma soon after; no one was really surprised when Taro got up again and was about to attack Kuno, only for Ranma to save him at the last minute.

"…the idiot hits the dust, again," Nabiki commented dryly, shaking her head.

They all watched in simple amazement as Kuno got up from the ground again, and rushed towards the fight, bokken held high, foolishly shouting, "Do not fear, damsel! For I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furi-OFF!" Nabiki, and most of the spectators flinched, as Kuno was hit by the enormous green tail of the flying ox, and sent almost straight where he had been knocked to before.

_That's going to hurt like hell in the morning, _the middle Tendo daughter thought, shaking her head. She watched as the fight went on, with Ranma trying in vain to control the huge creatures by the horns, only for the ox to try to back slam her, while the redhead was still on top of him.

"RANMA!" Akane cried, as the redhead jumped off the large monster, as he slammed his back on the floor, almost breaking the concrete in the process. Then, it happened.

While still in the floor, Pantyhose Taro grabbed unto Ranma's leg, sending her still airborne form into the ground. Then, a sound, almost like…Akane's eyes widen as she noticed Ranma grab unto her left arm, already spotting the odd bent angle it was in. "Damn!" Nabiki cried nearby, also noticing the broken arm, while the rest of the students began to panic.

Then, the flying ox stood up, a malicious grin on his face.

**

* * *

**

Ranma glared back at Pantyhose Taro as he grinned back at her, glancing at her broken arm, before facing her clear, blue eyes with a look of triumph. Pantyhose Taro had won, not directly, but even Ranma acknowledged that with all her strength and speed wouldn't be enough, her female body was still going to be too frail, too weak to finish off the giant ox. She was hurt, tired, and Taro knew it. The only reason he was gloating at her now was because he knew he had won.

_Damn it all…_Ranma thought, as she glanced at her arm, dangling uselessly by her side. She turned to look at Pantyhose Taro, who was still gloating at her, cracking his knuckles, as if thinking about what he should do next. Behind them, the students began to panic, already seeing that the redhead girl was not going to win, unless—

"URGH! B-Beast!" came a cry from one Tatewaki Kuno, as he stood up, weakly, glaring at the flying ox, as he continued to look at the redhead girl. Not that he was the only one, everyone else was more worried about the giant ox about to beat a small teenage girl into a bloody pulp. "YOU!" Kuno cried again, raising his bokken slowly at the beast, catching both Taro and Ranma's attention.

The ox only huffed in annoyance at the kendoist, while Ranma only glared at the latter…then, her eyes widen, as she noticed the bokken. An idea hit her, and before anyone knew what was happening, Ranma made a daring jump towards Taro's head, slamming her foot hard on the ox's face. Pantyhose Taro growled in pain and anger, as Ranma snatched Kuno's bokken from out of his hands, and did a fast stroke using her uninjured arm. It was as heavy as she had thought, but enough to do the job. Taro glared at her, before running towards her full force, his arm raised up, ready to punch her, but Ranma was faster. She jumped on top of the ox's leg, and before Taro could react, hit him hard straight on the head. The flying ox cried out in pain, as the bokken hit him, nothing like that kendoist's stroke, this one was delivered with a vengeance.

"Moooorrraaa!" Taro yelled grabbing his head, only to be met by a hard kick from Ranma straight on his stomach, followed by a hard and crushing blow on his head once more, breaking the bokken and finally knocking the giant beast out. Everyone, Kuno included, looked at the fallen beast, as Ranma collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily.

"…asshole…"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

It didn't take long before Nabiki took charge of the situation, ordering both Akane and Ranma to take the fainted woman to the infirmary to see to her, and the redhead herself, and finally a recently fainted Kuno, courtesy of Ranma, who was forced to drag him with her good arm all the way inside the school. Meanwhile, Nabiki and a few others had turned the flying ox back to his original form, and tied him to a tree, keeping any cold water away from him, as they waited for the police.

"Not that it's going to solve anything," the middle Tendo sister said, as she heard the sirens get closer and closer.

* * *

Finally, part III and the last part of this chapter, is finally posted...sigh...I might need to change the title of it though...but well, I will need some time for that. Sorry for the delay, school hasnt been nice to me...and well, what can i say...sorry for not updating like I should. Hopefully this makes up for it.

See you next time!


End file.
